Object of the Month December 2021

Christmas Card received by the Ridgelys in 1883.

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Historic Christmas Cards – Not What You Were Expecting!

Hampton NHS’s museum collection contains literally hundreds of cards received or sent by the Ridgely family from the late 19th till the mid-20th century. When Christmas cards first became widely popular in the United States in the last quarter of the 19th century, they often looked quite different from our cards today. Victorian era Christmas greeting cards often had illustrations of animals, insects, or flowers (roses, violets, lilies of the valley or even daisies). The latter look more likely to be wishing the recipient Happy Valentine’s Day or Happy Easter. This elaborate pink-fringed card (HAMP 21134) dated 1883 features a vase of large roses, a flower especially popular for Christmas greetings at that time. Note that it includes a loop of fine cord so it could be hung on the Ridgely’s Christmas tree. Another floral card, received by Margaretta Ridgely in 1881, was two-sided.

A Christmas card showing a horse and fox hunt theme, very appropriate for the activities that took place at Hampton.

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Many cards from the late 19th and early 20th centuries featured colorful illustrations of sweet-faced children and their holiday activities. Cards of this time might also show scenes from wintertime activities not necessarily related to the holidays, such as foxhunting, ice skating, or sledding.

Perhaps the most unusual in Hampton’s collection is an early card (c. 1880) with an ink bottle that was never sent. The message looks like one the Grinch might have preferred!

1880 Christmas card with spilt ink and message.

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