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The History of Birthday Cards and Greeting Cards

The history of greeting cards was influenced by a variety of cultures and countries. Although it is unknown exactly when the first greeting card was created, the custom of sending a greeting card can be traced to the Chinese. They sent greeting cards to give others good wishes for the New Year. Papyrus scrolls also suggest that Egyptians created holiday card style greetings as well.

During the early1400s Germans printed cards by using woodcuts, which created monotone images. In the middle 1400s, Europeans created paper greeting cards, which some people exchanged on Valentine’s Day. Exchanging paper greeting cards is a tradition that still exists today. However, over time technology and inventions have influenced the greeting card industry.

When the stamp was manufactured, in 1840, the delivery of greeting cards became more affordable which increased the ability to send them and their popularity. Additionally, technology in the printing industry improved, which allowed cards to be mass-produced as well as hand-made. Christmas cards were first mass-produced in 1846.

Louis Prang is credited with pioneering the greeting card business in the United States. In 1856, Louis Prang invented a state of the art colored printing press that made his greeting cards some of the finest in the industry.

By 1915, the Hall brothers recognized that purchasers of their postcards might prefer sealed cards so they began to sell holiday cards. In 1954, Hall Brothers became Hallmark Cards and is still one of the most well-known brands of cards today. In 1971, Recycled Paper Products, Inc. began creating and selling cards made out of recycled paper and the company has grown as customers have become more environmentally conscious.

In more recent years, cards have become more specialized and can be sent to celebrate nearly every holiday or occasion. Besides the initial cards for Christmas and Valentine’s Day that were sold years ago, greeting cards are sold for birthdays, anniversaries, confirmations, graduations, and many holidays. Although printed cards are still popular, during the last two decades, the invention of the Internet has made email cards rising competition for printed ones, especially since they can be delivered instantaneously.

American Greetings, Hallmark, Blue Mountain Cards and others currently sell email cards less expensively than their printed cards and they can be delivered more quickly. It is also possible to find free greeting cards online from some manufacturers.

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