Birthday Card

Date1940s

Object NameCard

Mediumcard, manmade, foil, paper

ClassificationsMuseum General

DimensionsLength: 15.3cm
Width: 12.2cm

AcquisitionPresented in 2006 by Mr Eric Crockart & Mrs Lorna Crawford.

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDMS076116

Keywords

Celebration

About MeBirthday card featuring a printed design of a bouquet of flowers decorated with glitter. The front of the card is cut with a scalloped edge and a circle design around the flower bouquet to reveal a piece of gold foil paper behind. There is also a pale yellow ribbon tied in a bow at the folded edge of the card. The inside of the card features two further paper pages printed with a verse and a landscape.

The tradition of sending greeting cards to friends and family goes back to at least the early 19th century. These early cards were hand-made, often featuring a painting or drawing. The first commercial cards were produced in the 1840s for Christmas and were one sided with no folds and no envelopes.

The penny post introduced in England a few years earlier made this new form of communication popular very quickly, especially when cheaper colour printing meant just about everyone could afford to send cards. This combination encouraged card manufacturers to expand their ranges to include cards for other occasions such as Valentine's Day, Easter and Birthdays.