We expect snowy scenes, jolly robins and nativity scenes on modern Christmas cards, but these bizarre and largely terrifying festive greetings from Victorian times show a strange side of Christmas past.
Contents
show
There’s these nightmare-inducing snowmen.
The classic Christmas image of a mouse riding a lobster.
According to Stephanie Boydell, curator of special collections at Manchester Metropolitan University, the Christmas cards are “only odd to our eyes.”
“The Victorians had a different idea to what Christmas was about — not particularly Christian, but a time of good humor,” she adds.
Sleigh bells, Santa Claus and, er, frogs murdering each other for money.
With the first commercial Christmas card made in 1843, it wasn’t until the 1870s and the availability of stamps that everyone could afford to send festive greetings to friends and family.
Like this monkey painting a dog while a second monkey lurks menacingly nearby.
“Wishing you a glad New Year,” says this disembodied dog’s head.
And these depressed animals are sending you best wishes through their festive tears.
Here’s something a little more familiar: a cute robin. Nice and dead for Christmas.
A sinister Santa steals a Christmas tree while being chased by men-children in make-up.
Seasons greetings! Here’s a clown assaulting a police officer and a child being boiled alive in a teapot. With love.
Would Lady Margeret prefer this pig with lady-hands or a Christmas pudding with wine bottles for legs being impaled by cutlery?
These jolly beetles are dancing with a frog and these ladies are making a snowball containing an elderly man. And a dog with a gun! Ho ho ho!
Merry Christmas! Enjoy your nightmares.