The History Of Terrifying Victorian Christmas Cards

Millions of people grab Christmas cards and send them to loved ones all around the world every festive season. Most of us are used to seeing the same snow-filled landscapes or winter wonderlands filled with all kinds of cute woodland animals that decorate our mantles throughout December. Have you ever thought about where they started?

It turns out that learning about holiday cards actually takes us back to the history of terrifying Victorian Christmas cards that started things off on a very questionable foot. In fact, the cards sent in the 1800s were nothing like the ones that so many of us find in our mailboxes today.

A change in cost saw Christmas cards boom

For decades, the idea of sending cards through the mail was out of the question for Victorian Britain. That’s because it was simply too expensive. That was until the 1840s when the Penny Post came along and changed everything. Suddenly, any letter that came in at less than half an ounce could be sent for a mere penny. It was a huge boom to the industry that it needed, with plenty opting to send greetings cards for all occasions, including Christmas. John Calcott Horsley was the one behind the first holiday card design, and it was later sent in 1843 by Henry Cole. It was a cheery family at a table that set the standard for every card to come. 

Some Victorian Christmas cards weren’t too terrifying

It turns out that not every Victorian Christmas card was as terrifying as others. Plenty had images that we would typically see on the shelves today, with pictures of snowmen and adorable animals. To top it off, there were plenty of cards that were covered with smiling families as people wanted to share the festive cheer with their loved ones. However, things took a turn. The novelty of being able to send cards in the mail wore off, and many started to look for cards with images they hadn’t seen before.

Other terrifying Victorian Christmas cards featured creepy designs

The need to look for something different led to the terrifying Victorian Christmas cards that have been forgotten to history throughout the years. These were the ones of plates filled with birds who have passed away, humans climbing out of snowmen, and a frog ending another frog’s life. That wasn’t all. Some Victorian festive cards had even more bizarre images, such as walking fruit and vegetable-human hybrids or mice riding lobsters. It seemed the more terrifying something was, the better. 

There are various reasons the Victorians had terrifying Christmas cards

Why did the Victorians send terrifying Christmas cards? There were plenty of reasons. For one, newspapers turned it into something spectacular by rating each card on offer throughout the season to find the most bizarre, with many wanting to outdo everyone else on their mailing list. Other, darker Christmas cards - such as those with birds who have passed away - might have been a call to the traditions of the time. St. Stephen’s Day was celebrated the day after Christmas and saw a good luck ritual that involved ending the life of a small bird, which might have been how so many ended up featuring on festive cards at the time.

The history of terrifying Victorian Christmas cards might not have been so unusual for the time after all. In fact, it appears it almost became a game of who could send the most unusual and beat the rest of their loved ones for a time in a tradition that’s since been lost to the ages.