Laura Seddon Collection
A very substantial collection of 19th and 20th century greetings cards
Overview
The Laura Seddon Collection contains over 32,500 greetings cards. It is one of the largest, and most comprehensive, sources for the study of 19th century greetings cards, and holds some of the earliest and rarest examples of commercial cards.
The cards held in the collection are mainly Christmas cards but Easter, birthday, New Year, memorial, reward, and Valentines cards are also included. They range in date from the 1840s-1920s, with the majority being from the 1880s-1890s: what is known as the “Golden Age” of the greetings card. All of the cards were collected by Laura Seddon.
Image: The Cole Horsley card, designed by J. C. Horsley, 1843, England
Rare cards held in the collection include the Cole Horsley Christmas card (1843), now recognised as the first commercially printed Christmas card in the UK, and the only known copy of the “first” American Christmas card designed for the firm of R. H. Pease, Albany, New York in 1850.
Well-known publishers, such as Marcus Ward and Raphael Tuck, are represented as well as many renowned 19th century artists and illustrators including Kate Greenaway, Walter Crane and Beatrix Potter.
There is a huge range of designs and subject matter covered, from the sentimental to the humorous, and from popular pastimes and fairies, to flowers and dinosaurs.
This collection is not currently searchable online. You can view it in our Reading Room by making an appointment. If you’d like to bring your students to see some of the collection, enquire about a group visit.
Access the collection
Photography and Copyright
You can photograph our collections for personal study and research only. Just ask for a Photography Permission Form when you visit.
If you’re not able to visit us in person, we may be able to send you a scan or photograph of the item instead.
Contact us if you need an image for use in social media, print or online publication, or commercial purposes.
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