In 1843 in Britain a wealthy man, Sir Henry Cole, had so many greetings to send he couldn't hand write them all. So he had a card made showing charity to the poor, and the Christmas card was born. Subsequent cards have featured everything from nativity scenes to families around the Christmas tree. Early cards were lithographed and often adorned with silk, lace and satin.
"Organized in 1985, our mission is to foster and promote postcard collecting in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area … [more]
Theodore H. Althof, Jr's beautiful collection of old dimestore Christmas village houses. Start with the categories/… [more]
This collection of over 2000 postcards provides a peek at life in and around Delaware in the early 1900s. Browse g… [more]
Andreas Praefcke's postcard collection of theatres and concert halls worldwide. Showcases 3700 images of over 1810 … [more]
George Nelson's incredibly detailed chronicle of Christmas lighting. Browsable by decade and special theme. Hundred… [more]
Digital Past, a group effort by dozens of Chicago-area institutions, boasts one of the world's largest online colle… [more]
Dedicated to vintage paper mache nativity composition figures and displays, this site offers a history of nativity … [more]
This site showcases over 1000 old Soviet Christmas and New Years cards from 1950 to 1990. Browse through page after… [more]
Malcolm Roebuck's tribute to the ornate silk picture bookmarks and postcards ('Stevengraphs') produced by Thomas St… [more]
A simple site with a collection of over 500 artistic Gablonz holiday ornaments, made of glass beads in the Czech Re… [more]
Don't let this one get away from you. This 'unbelievable' collection, from the Wisconsin Historical Society, featur… [more]
Great collection of American penny postcards from the early 1900s, organized by state and then county. Includes a n… [more]
This beautiful site features a collection of tinted postcards, woodblock prints, and early maps of Tokyo. The image… [more]
Lynne Appel's reference site contains useful information for postcard collectors such as such as a Postcard Collect… [more]
Marty Weil's wide-ranging, in-depth blog on ephemera, including lots of great interviews with ephemera collectors. … [more]
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