History of Birthday Cards!

Recently as I was packing an order for a Birthday Card I wondered how on earth Birthday Cards came into existence, afterall we have all just grown up with cards being the norm, whether given in the office or stuffed with a £5 note from mum and dad. I set out to investigate what is the history behind the humble birthday card!

From Ancient Egypt and Greece to a small town in England.

According to some researchers, the idea of celebrating Birthdays began in about 3000 BCE, celebrations of Pharaohs and Gods we're a popular way of bringing communities together, offering cooked goods, dancing and probably early music.
Similarly, the ancient Greeks would celebrate the birthday of the Gods. It is rumoured that candles and torches were lit into cakes to highlight the beauty of Artemis (God of Birth). So we know that Birthdays have been celebrated in human cultures for centuries, but this still doesn't explain how we get to Birthday Cards, for that we have to move to England during the Victorian Era.

The first commercially available Christmas Card was designed by John Callott Horsley in 1843 London, this marked a real turning point in card making as it coincided with the expansion of the postage industry. Before then sending letters was an expensive process where only the very wealthy could afford a messenger to send letters and correspondence, but for the first time even those without large sums of money could send letters and importantly Christmas Cards. The initial sales of cards were strong, and the tradition started, but just as the 19th century ends the world would be shocked, and greeting cards would be more popular than ever.

From Home to Battleground.

In 1914 Europe was in the biggest conflict the world has ever faced. The start of The Great War saw many young men leave their homes and fight for the United Kingdom, it was widely believed at the start of the war the conflict would end by Christmas, this quickly turned out not to be true. As many soldiers were away in the trenches, families back home wanted to send letters and merry wishes during the cold December months as Christmas neared. The demand for Christmas cards increased and the mass market production of greeting cards really begun.

By the end of the war cards for lots of different occasions were beginning to be sold and sent across the world, it is here we see the origin of the Birthday Card. Even the most simple things we take for granted often have treasured and important history.

Dan, Co-Founder @ Treasured Words