Christmas Card

As popular 19th-century mantelpiece items of the holiday season, American Christmas cards
were created to promote societal ideas and mannerisms through art. A variety of messages
could be interpreted from these chromolithographic prints such as seasonal abundance and warmth, social obligation, and perhaps even debates on how greeting cards facilitated the mechanization of human emotions. The creators sought technical perfection in an already competitive holiday greeting card industry, especially when these items were ideal conversation starters in social gatherings. This card is alluring for consumers because it features an image of a woman standing on a river front with a landscape in the background. This scene is framed in a border that has the appearance of a boat's interior. Such a display conveys the charm and tenderness of the holiday season.

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