Greeting Cards

Greeting cards have a history dating back thousands of years, but their popular revival dates from the 1850s, when mechanization, advances in printing technology, and the introduction of the postage stamp made them affordable to the general public.1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeting_card Elder published dozens of cards in a number of categories. The list below, containing 161 items, is compiled from his various catalogs. Gaps indicate cards which were out of stock, and perhaps were not planned to be reprinted.

Birthday

  1. To My Bonnie Friend. “Hale be your heart, hale be your fiddle!” Robert Burns.
  2. A Birthday Prophecy. Agness Greene Foster.
  3. A Merry Birthday. Nellie Blessing Eyster.
  4. A Birthday Oracle. “The Master-Helmsman always near.” Agness Greene Foster. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  5. My Birthday Wish for You
  6. A Birthday Rosary. “Thine be every joy.” Nellie Blessing Eyster. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  7. A Happy Birthday. A series of twelve cards, each with the symbol-flower for a month.
    • Snowdrop, January
    • Primrose, February
    • Violet, March
    • Daisy, April
    • Hawthorne, May
    • Honeysuckle, June
    • Water-lily, July
    • Poppy, August
    • Morning-glory, September
    • Hops, October
    • Chrysanthemum, November
    • Holly, December
  8. Many Happy Returns of the Day
  9. A Happy Birthday to You. Designed by Gordon Ross.
  10. Book-marker Birthday Greeting (to be slipped into the birthday gift book)
  11. Your Birthday. “Your’s gave to me a friend,” Martial
  12. “The Lord bless thee and keep thee,” designed by Jean Oliver
  13. “On This Fair Day,” by Richard Le Gallienne, designed by Jean Oliver
  14. “Birthday Greeting,” by Fiona Macleod, designed by Harold Sichel

Guest Room

  1. Sleep Sweet Within This Quiet Room. Designed by Jean Oliver.
  2. Rest in His Love. Designed by Charles Frank Ingerson.

Valentines

  1. The Protected Heart. “If one should ive me a heart to keep.”
  2. A Valentine Triolet. “One loving word but send to me.”
  3. My Valentine. “More peril in thine eyes than twenty swords.”
  4. Ye Herald—Of the Queen of Hearts. “Oh, tell your love, ye bashful swains.”
  5. Sweet as the Primrose.
  6. The Sealed Heart. “H is for Heart; mine beats but for you.”
  7. Alphabet Valentine. “A’s for affection.”
  8. Love can turn all things to beauty.
  9. Love. “All things flag but only Love.” Christina Rossetti.
  10. My love is like a river, deep it flows.
  11. Love’s Holiday. “Let’s away to the mead together.”
  12. A Heart. “Did you take it forever or only for play?” Agness Greene Foster.
  13. Ye True Heart.
  14. Thy Loving Valentine. “Now all my days are trances.”
  15. Cupid and a Camera. “Cupid worked with perfect art.”
  16. It’s not a long tale. Just, I love you.
  17. No Negative from Mine.
  18. the Grand Bow-wows. “Listen to my earnest vows.”
  19. A Perfect Duck. “If I only had the pluck.”
  20. More than dolly do I love you.
  21. More than all the boys, I love you lots.
  22. My Valentine is a sure ‘nuf dandy.
  23. The Knocker. “Ouvre moi ta porte.”
  24. Mistletoe.
  25. Book-marker. “My Valentine.” (to be slipped into the Valentine gift book)
  26. Love sickness. “My heart is sick with love for you.”
  27. The Fortune Daisy. “Do you love me or love me not?”
  28. “I and U.”
  29. Arrow-roots. “The feathered shafts which Cupid shoots are grown, you know, from arrow-roots.”
  30. Cupid’s Airship. “Oh, fly with me in my aeroplane.”
  31. The Friendly Valentine. “I don’t want you for a beau… Will you be a friend of mine?”
  32. “Trade?” A wee miss offers you her heart for yours.
  33. “See how my heart has grew”

St. Patrick’s Day

  1. St. Patrick. “May the saints kape us shtiddy!” Designed by Gordon Ross.
  2. Irish Stew.

Easter

  1. A Joyous Easter Be Yours. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  2. Easter Greetings.
  3. He Is Risen.
  4. I am the Resurrection and the Life.
  5. Easter Joy. Nellie Blessing Eyster.
  6. Easter Light. Nellie Blessing Eyster.
  7. Easter Fulfilment. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  8. Easter Blossoms. Whittier.
  9. Easter Morning.
  10. Easter Joy.
  11. Easter Greeting.
  12. Easter Greeing.
  13. Easter Joy.
  14. Easter Greeting.
  15. Easter Greeting.
  16. Easter Dawn.
  17. Easter Book-mark Greeting (to be slipped into the Easter gift book)
  18. The Easter Hat-box. “May flowers shed their sweet perfume, and crown your Easter bonnet.”
  19. Easter Joy.
  20. “An Easter Song,” Richard Le Gallienne
  21. The Easter Blessing

Christmas & New Year

  3. The Child and the Cross.
  4. A Christmas Pie.
  5. Joy of Christmas Tide Be With You. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  6. Christmas Wish of Cheer. “A pocket full of money. God bless the master of this house.” Designed by J. Woolrich.
  8. Christmas Peace and Love. “Peace—that passes all the rest.” Mary Vaughan. Designed by Robert Wilson Hyde.
  10. A New Year’s Prophcy. “Love is a sixty as at twenty.” Agness Greene Foster. Designed by Robert Wilson Hyde.
  13. A Christmas Song. “One who loves a little child hath Christmas all the year.” Florence Evelyn Pratt.
  14. The Message of the Iris. “May all thy holidays be bowers.” Haskell Williams. Designed by Gordon Ross.
  16. The True Greeting. “For ‘t was love that prompted the sending of this message, friend of mine.” Agness Greene Foster. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  17. When Yule is Here. “Old ties are dear when Yule is here.” Designed by Harold Sichel.
  18. A Cynic’s Christmas Feast. “‘T is concentrated indigestion!” J. Ashby-Sterry. Designed by Raymond Carter.
  19. A Joyous Christmas. “Ring the bells with gladness.” Cora H. Buell. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  20. ‘T is Christmas is a Happy Time. Designed by Raymond Carter.
  21. Joy and Plenty. Designed by Raymond Carter.
  22. Blessings on the New Year. “Be thou most blest.” Cora H. Buell. Designed by Raymond Carter.
  23. At Christmasse Tyde. “And Christmasse bells a-ringing.” Willis Boyd Allen. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  24. Christmas and New Year’s Greetings. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  27. The Autoist’s Record-breaking Christmas and “Rubber-tired New Year.” Ethel Watts-Mumford Grant. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  29. Christmas Greetings from Japan. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  32. All Good things Be Yours. Designed by Frances Washington Delehanty.
  33. May Joy With You Abide. Designed by Robert Hudson.
  34. The Carol at the Gate. “Here we come a-whistling.” Designed by Frances Washington Delehanty.
  35. Christmas Good Old Day. “And back to love and kindess win us.” Edward Sanford Masten. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  36. The King’s Birthday. “Every day is a King’s birthday when Love is born.” Agness Greene Foster. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  37. May Joy With You Abide.
  38. A Merry Christmas and a Glad New Year.
  39. All Good things Be Yours.
  40. Letters to Absent Friends. Correspondence paper for christmas and New Year letters with a seasonable hand-colored decoration.
  41. Notes to Distant Friends. Correspondence cards for Christmas notes.
  42. Personal Greeting to Friends.
  43. What Blessings Can I Wish You, O My Friend? Designed by Charles Frank Ingerson.
  44. What Wishes Shall I Offer Thee This Christmas Morning? “Thy life should be all gladness.” Harvey Davis Loveland. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  45. Your Gift to Me. “God smiles at me through you.” Agness Greene Foster. Designed by Jean Oliver.
  46. Christmas Bells. “Love is born for you.” Agness Greene Foster.
  47. God Bless the Master of this House. Designed by Charles Frank Ingerson.
  48. A Merry christmas to Us All, My Dears. Charles Dickens.
  49. Lo, Now is Come the Joyful’st Feast! “Without the door let sorrow lie, and evermore be merry.” Designed by Anna B. Craig.
  50. Christmas Feast. Designed by Jean Oliver.
  51. The Full Stockin’. “I hope your stockin’s filled so full.”
  52. Hurrah for Christmas!
  53. I Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Jolly New Year.
  54. Happy New Year! “And an Echo for Every Day in the Year.”
  55. Happy New Year! “Hope Your Smile Will Reach Around the Whole Year.
  56. Christmas Greetings.
  57. Ebisu’s Christmas Wish.
  59. My Givt is Luff. “Give the Poor a Penny.” Ruth W. Norton.
  60. Greeting Tags. An assortment of six “Merry Christmas” cards
  61. “A Merry Christmas”
  62. A Christmas Snowy and Blowy, “With all good friends together.”
  63. “Christmastime,” Jean Oliver
  64. “A Yule-tide Reverie,” Agness Greene Foster
  65. “Thine Own Wish at Christmas,” Celia Thaxter
  66. “The Lord Bless thee”
  67. “O Golly! It’s Christmas!” designed by Jean Oliver
  68. “If the whole world were a Christmas tree, hung with gifts for you,” designed by Jean Oliver
  69. “A Gift of Love,” Lydia Avery Coonley
  70. “A Merry Christmas and a Glad new Year”
  72. “May the year come in with a burst of song,” F. A. M. P.
  73. “For the New Year”
  74. “My Greatest Treasures,” Jean Oliver
  76. “Joy of Christmas-tide be with you,” designed by Harold Sichel
  77. “When Yule is here, old ties are dear,” designed by Harold Sichel
  78. “Christmas and New Year’s Greetings,” designed by Harold Sichel
  79. “Christmas Peace and Love,” by Mary Vaughan, designed by Robert Wilson Hyde

The Christmas Carol Series

This series of six Christmas carols deserves special mention. They are not Christmas cards per se because there is nowhere to write a message, but they are deservedly collectible. For a more thorough discussion, click the link above.

From the 1904 Catalog of a Western Publisher (C20): “A series of six of the old-time Christmas Carols, edited by Sidney Peixotto and executed in illustrative and decorative designs by H. M. Sickal [sic, they mean Harold M. Sichel], to serve as an appropriate Christmas card. The spirit of these loved carols is faithfully interpreted by Mr. Sickal, the words and music appearing quaint and charming. Iluminated in gold and colors on a folder of imperial Japan vellum. Each, enclosed in a parchment envelope, 20 cents net. The set, enclosed in a special envelope, boxed, $1.00 net.”

  1. I Saw Three Ships
  2. Good King Wenceslas
  3. The First Nowell
  4. The Coentry Carol
  5. The Wassail Song
  6. God Rest You Merry Gentlemen

Cards for Occasions

  1. Consolation. A Prayer for the Soul of One Beloved in Paradise. Gladstone.
  2. The You I Love. “What is this ‘you’ I love so well?” Agness Greene Foster. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  3. Just Know. For Departure. “All are in God’s loving care.” Agness Greene Foster.
  4. Love. “All things flag but only Love.” Christina Rossetti. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  5. The Chord of Sympathy. “It is only the overtones of suffering.” W. J. Locke. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  6. Announcement of Baby’s Arrival. Designed by Harold Sichel.
  7. Another Flowret. Congratulation on baby’s arrival. “Another flowret blooming in the sun.” Designed by Jean Oliver.
  8. “With a Booke to a Friende,” by Arthur Guiterman, designed by Harold Sichel
  9. “For Your Happiness,” by Sidney Lanier, designed by Jean Oliver
  10. “Mizpah: The Lord watch between thee and me when we are absent one from another,” designed by Jean Oliver

 

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    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeting_card