Victorian Christmas cards were a mixed bag of iconography, ranging from religious to everyday things.
A dead robin, a frog stabbing another, and Saint Nicholas stuffing a kid in a sack.
This unusual celebration was captured in an illustration and published in theIllustrated London News.
Soon every British home had a decorated tree decked with small gifts and sweets.
The tradition of exchanging Christmas cards took a few more years.
The first card was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole in 1843.
The first ever Christmas card.
Cole had one thousand cards printed and sold them for one shilling eacha pricey thing for ordinary Victorians.
The endeavor was failure.
However the sentiment caught on.
By the late 19th century, producing and printing Christmas cards had become a lucrative industry.
Of course, not all Victorian Christmas cards were bizarre.
