Classic Angel Christmas Cards

... beautiful reminders of days gone by

This card is from the early 1900s. Oddly enough, early cards rarely showed winter or religious themes, instead favoring flowers and even fairies -- often themes that reminded the recipient of the approach of spring. In 1875, printer Louis Prang offered the first mass-produced cards in America. Ornate and expensive, his cards were so popular that they inspired cheap imitations that eventually drove him out of the business.

Cards such as this one were often postcards -- mailed without an envelope. That spelled the end for elaborate Victorian-style cards with ribbons and gold leaf embossing.