AngDesign

Rapheal Tuck

Raphael Tuck began his Christmas card production during 1871. He increased trade by holding Christmas card competitions from 1880 onwards, giving away big prizes for Christmas card design.  These competitions were judged by Royal Academicians, 925 designs were judged and were displayed in the Dudly Gallery.  As the rewards were so big, the best artists could make a living from Christmas card design.  In 1897 it was written in the Windsor Magazine that the fee for the average design was 3 guineas, and one of the best designers could earn up to 900 pounds per year.

During 1880 Raphael Tuck gave away 500 pounds in prizes, and he even bought a selection of designs for 2,500 pounds.  He also published some designs which were by Royal Academicians, Marcus Stone RA in 1882, G. H. Boughton, W. C. T. Dobson, J. C. Herbert, G. D. Leslie, H. S. Marks, E. J Poynter, J. Sant and W. F. Yeames. Queen Victoria was known to have bought at least one thousand of these cards, to send to her neighbours at Windsor and Osborne.  The majority of cards that she sent in 1895 were of children dancing in costume, though she also ordered almost one hundred cards which had 'Home Chat' written on them.  This 'Home Chat' card, when it is stood up correctly is said to have been approximately 12 inches high, by 10 inches wide and 8 inches deep, it was designed under the intent to represent the offering, from the Wise Men of the East.

Kate Greenaway

Kate Greenaway received only 3 pounds for her first Saint Valentines Day card, which sold over 25,000 copies in just a few weeks.

Walter Crane

Walter Crane introduced the idea of designing Christmas cards using politics in 1874, when he designed a card in which Lord Derby was replaced by Father Christmas.  'Triumphant Return Of Mr Christmas'.  This card shows Lord Derby standing in an open carriage with, as a coat of arms, a plum pudding, and a knife and folk.

S. Hildersheimer & Co

From 1876 and onwards, one of the stronger competitors was a German Company called S. Hildersheimer & CO, of, Silk Street, London.  This company also had branches in Manchester and New York, and in 1879 they produced a set of cards called the 'Penny Basket'.  S. Hildersheimer also reproduced etchings as well as water colours by Wilfred Ball, who was a member of the Royal Society of Painter Etchers.  S. Hildersheimer also held a Christmas card competition as well as an exhibition at St. James's Hall, London, in 1881. This was intended and arranged in order to copy Louis Prang.