People began sending cards to friends and relatives over 150 years ago. The first commercial Christmas cards were produced by Sir Henry Cole in London, 1843. The artist, John Callcott Horsley drew a picture of a family with a small child drinking wine together. 1000 cards were printed and sold for a shilling each.
The card was printed in black and white and then coloured by hand.
On the front of the card there is a picture of a happy family. Each person in the picture is holding a glass of wine. On either side there are pictures of people giving food and clothing to the poor. A message on the card, beneath the family, says
"A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU."
A thousand copies of the card were made. The cards that Sir Henry Cole did not need were sold for one shilling each. They sold quickly, and a new "tradition" was born.
Early British Christmas cards rarely showed winter or Christmas themes. Instead, flowers, children, animals, fairies, and scenes of spring were popular.
Questions
A.
1. Who do British people send Christmas cards to?
2. Who produced the first commercial Christmas card?
3. Who designed the card?
4. When were the first commercial Christmas cards sold?
5. Was the card printed in colour?
6. What is in the picture?
7. What is each person holding?
8. How many cards were printed?
9. How much did they cost?
10. Did they sell quickly or slowly?
David Hurley
Succeed-In-English.com
No comments:
Post a Comment