The Art of …

… Victorian Christmas Cards

Commercially produced greeting cards hit the market in 1840, and by the 1860s, they had become very popular. The Christmas cards sent during the Victorian years had a much different sensibility than those we send nowadays.  Hyperallergic put together a good selection with many featuring animals doing some unusual things, and I’ve chosen a few of my favourites to share with you.  There are more to see at the above link.

Let’s start with a few just plain cute cards.

“A happy Christmas” (1908) (via NYPL) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

“In silvery accents, whispering low – A happy, happy Christmastide!” (England, 1880) (courtesy Toronto Public Library) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

An example of one of the first Australian Christmas cards, collected by Bessie Rouse (via Sydney Living Museums) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

“Wishing you a Merry Christmas,” featuring a goldfinch, bee, and cricket (via University of Glasgow Library/Flickr) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

“A happy Christmas to you” (via TuckDB Ephemera) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

“Every good wish for your Christmas,” with frogs! (via the Library of Birmingham) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

“A joyful Christmas to you” (via Derbyshire County Council Record Office) Christmas card, from Hyperallergic

“I have come to greet you” (inside it says: “Loving Christmas greetings, may smiling faces ring around your glowing hearth this Christmas day, may fun and merriment abound, and all your world be glad and gay” (via TuckDB Ephemera) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

And now, a few more unusual cards.

“May Christmas be Merry” (19th-century Christmas card) (via Lilly Library at Indiana University, Bloomington) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

Christmas card by Wilhelm Larsen (1890-92) (via National Library of Norway/Flickr) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

“May all jollity ‘lighten’ your Christmas hours” (via Lilly Library at Indiana University, Bloomington) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

“Now dance and jump and make good cheer for Christmas comes but once a year” (L. Prang & Co., Boston, 1888)(via Special Collections Department, Postcard Collection, Enoch Pratt Free Library) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

 

and finally, a few cards that I consider downright frightening.

“A hearty Christmas greeting: Four jovial froggies / a skating would go; / They asked their mamma, / but she’d sternly said, ‘No!’ / And they all came to grief in a beautiful row. / There’s a sweet Christmas moral for one not too slow. / Just so!” (via Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

“A Merry Christmas to you” (via Horrible Sanity) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

“A happy Christmas” (via Boston Public Library) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

The red ants have a flag that reads: “The compliments of the season” (via University of Glasgow Library/Flickr) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

“A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” (1876) (via National Library of Ireland/Flickr) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

“May yours be a Joyful Christmas” (via Tea Tree Gully Library) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

“With many merry Christmas greetings” (via TuckDB Ephemera) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

“A Happy Christmas” (1900) (via Missouri History Museum/Wikimedia) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

A Krampus Christmas card (via Tea Tree Gully Library) Christmas Card, from Hyperallergic.

My thanks to  Hyperallergic for putting together this interesting assortment of antique Christmas cards. There are a few more to be seen if you click the link.

The Art of Book Design: A Visit From St. Nicholas (‘Twas The Night Before Christmas)

Clement Clarke Moore. A visit from St. Nicholas, Boston, Published by L. Prang & Co, 1864.

It was a tradition in my family to read this poem every Christmas Eve just before bedtime when I was young. The poem was first published anonymously in 1823, but Moore admitted authorship in 1837. The poem is credited with cementing the idea of Santa Claus and gift-giving into the Christmas traditions of modern times. This is the earliest edition that I was able to locate, and the entire poem is included beneath the fold.

[Read more…]

Jack’s Walk

©voyager, all rights reserved

Here are a few food safety tips for your pet over the holidays.

  •  Keep chocolate out of reach from your dog. It’s toxic to then.
  •  Keep alcohol out of reach of pets. I used to have a cat with a taste for brown cows.
  •  Limit table scraps. Too much rich food may cause diarrhea, gastric upset and potentially, pancreatitis.
  •  Give pet safe scraps only. White meat with no skin, unsalted and unbuttered veggies and plain white rice are good options.
  •  Don’t give your pet bones and mind the turkey carcass. Cooked bones can splinter easily and cause injury to teeth or gastric systems of both cats and dogs.
  •  Don’t let your pet eat raw dough. Yeast might still rise after ingestion or release fermented sugars, which can cause ethanol poisoning.
  •  Wash pans right away or put them out of reach of your pet.
  •  Don’t leave cookies and milk for Santa within your pet’s reach.  Leave Santa a note telling him where the treats are if he wants one.

source – Top Dog Tips

source – Catster

Jack’s Walk

©voyager, all rights reserved

Jack and I want to talk about a few ways to keep your pet safe and happy over the holidays. Christmas can be stressful for our pets, but there are some simple things you can do to make it a happier, healthier time. We’ll be breaking it down into a few categories, and today we’ll begin with some safety tips to keep in mind while you decorate your home.

  •  Don’t use lilies, holly, mistletoe or poinsettia because they are all poisonous to your dog. Lilies are also highly toxic to cats and poinsettia can make your cat quite sick.
  • Don’t use real candles. If you must light real candles, blow them out when you leave the room. Keep candles out of reach. This is especially important for people who have cats that jump and knock things over.
  •  Use an artificial tree. It will be less interesting for your dog or cat.
  •  Anchor your Christmas tree.
  •  Don’t decorate the bottom part of the tree, it will only entice your pet.
  •  Block off the tree with a pet gate if your dog won’t’ leave the tree alone. Ditto for cats, which may also be dissuaded by tin foil around the edge of the tree skirt.
  •  Don’t use tinsel. It can cause serious problems if your pet ingests it.
  •  No edible decorations, such as popcorn and cranberry garlands or flour cookies.
  •  Block off access to the tree water if you have a real tree. The water is stagnant and can be full of bacteria. It could also contain a “tea” of pine needles, which will make both cats and dogs sick.
  •  Keep wiring and extension cords our of reach. They can cause severe injury if chewed through. They also give the animal an opportunity to knock something over.
  •  Keep it simple. Too many loud or obnoxious decorations can put your dog or cat on edge.
  •  Don’t use ribbon on packages that could entice your cat or dog to eat it. (cats eat the ribbon, ditto for dogs, who also may eat the whole package) Keep gifts out of reach if possible.
  • No glass ornaments. They can break too easily and the shards can cut your animal and can cause serious harm if ingested.
  •  Beware of Snow-Globes, which may leak or break if knocked over.  What’s inside them can be very toxic.
  • Unplug the lights when you go out or to bed. If your pet chews the cord while it’s plugged in, they can receive serious burns or electrocution.
  • Pretend like the tree is no big deal and provide other distractions for your pet. Food puzzles and new toys are an excellent way to keep your pet occupied. Empty boxes also work well for cats.

So there you have it. Some common sense ways to make the holidays happier and healthier for your pet. Tomorrow we’ll look at food safety tips over the holidays for your cat and dog.

source,  Top Dog Tips

source, Catster

source,  Consumer Reports