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- "Christmas Greetings," 1942 - Mailing colorful, commercially designed greeting cards was a 20th-century American tradition. During the holidays, friends and neighbors commonly exchanged cards wishing one another a Merry Christmas or Happy New Year. Publishers sometimes decorated these cards with images of Santa Claus, the legendary holiday gift giver.
- 1942
- Collections - Artifact
"Christmas Greetings," 1942
Mailing colorful, commercially designed greeting cards was a 20th-century American tradition. During the holidays, friends and neighbors commonly exchanged cards wishing one another a Merry Christmas or Happy New Year. Publishers sometimes decorated these cards with images of Santa Claus, the legendary holiday gift giver.
- "Easter Greetings, May This Easter Be For You a Time of Joy and Gladness," circa 1920 - Sending greeting cards and postcards for the Easter holiday became popular in the United States by the 1880s. Publishers made cards with themes of a religious nature as well as secular decorations to celebrate the arrival of spring. Artists working for these publishers illustrated the cards with images symbolic of the season, such as crosses, angels, flowers, eggs, children, birds, and rabbits.
- circa 1920
- Collections - Artifact
"Easter Greetings, May This Easter Be For You a Time of Joy and Gladness," circa 1920
Sending greeting cards and postcards for the Easter holiday became popular in the United States by the 1880s. Publishers made cards with themes of a religious nature as well as secular decorations to celebrate the arrival of spring. Artists working for these publishers illustrated the cards with images symbolic of the season, such as crosses, angels, flowers, eggs, children, birds, and rabbits.
- "May Hallowe'en Frolics Engage You Tonight," 1937 - A distinctly American blend of Halloween traditions emerged by the late 1800s. Into the 20th century, the holiday was mostly an innocent celebration of mystery and fun, but friends and neighbors often exchanged seasonal greeting cards that evoked Halloween's superstitious origins. This colorful example alludes to olden customs involving witchcraft and fortune-telling.
- 1937
- Collections - Artifact
"May Hallowe'en Frolics Engage You Tonight," 1937
A distinctly American blend of Halloween traditions emerged by the late 1800s. Into the 20th century, the holiday was mostly an innocent celebration of mystery and fun, but friends and neighbors often exchanged seasonal greeting cards that evoked Halloween's superstitious origins. This colorful example alludes to olden customs involving witchcraft and fortune-telling.
- Halloween Postcard Showing Pumpkin-head Children Bobbing for Apples, 1910-1915 - By 1900, articles in magazines and newspapers had helped spread and popularize Halloween customs and images like jack o-lanterns, black cats, witches, or bobbing for apples to a national audience. Some people marked the holiday by mailing a Halloween-themed postcard greeting to family or friends. During the first two decades of the 20th century, sending postcards was an easy--and popular--way to communicate.
- 1910-1915
- Collections - Artifact
Halloween Postcard Showing Pumpkin-head Children Bobbing for Apples, 1910-1915
By 1900, articles in magazines and newspapers had helped spread and popularize Halloween customs and images like jack o-lanterns, black cats, witches, or bobbing for apples to a national audience. Some people marked the holiday by mailing a Halloween-themed postcard greeting to family or friends. During the first two decades of the 20th century, sending postcards was an easy--and popular--way to communicate.