by Delaynna Trim, Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art Curator of Collections
Do you send out Christmas cards? Do you receive many Christmas cards?
Artists have enjoyed creating their own Christmas cards for many years. It is a chance for them to create something special for their friends and family.
The first Christmas cards were created in England in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole. He was overwhelmed by having to handwrite responses to all the letters he was receiving leading up to Christmas, so he asked an artist friend, J.C. Horsley, to design the card which he had printed and sent out to his friends, family, and acquaintances.
The first Christmas cards printed in the US were created in 1875 by Louis Prang in Boston. The modern Christmas card industry started in 1915 with the Hall brothers’ company (later renamed Hallmark) in Kansas City.
By 1948, Hallmark released a line of Christmas cards featuring famous artworks. In 1958 Salvador Dali created a custom line of Christmas cards for Hallmark. Norman Rockwell designed a popular Christmas card set for Hallmark, which is still occasionally reprinted.
Artists have created unique cards such as Michael Bidlo who created a card out of a flattened Brillo box. Josef Albers, Alexander Calder and Robert Motherwell all created unique Christmas cards to send to their family and friends.
In the MGMoA exhibit, Messiah: Christ in Art, you might notice two prints by Derald Swineford. Swineford was an Oklahoma artist known for his paintings, sculpture, and linoleum prints all with an Oklahoma or Southwest influence. From 1940-1983, he created a series of prints for Christmas that he sent to his friends and family. While these had a Western theme, many also connected to the Christmas holiday.
Both pieces are reimagining of the Nativity in new and different settings. In, Teepee Manger, Swineford reimagines the Nativity with Native Americans. In Wagon Train Nativity, he reimagines the Nativity featuring people who are on a wagon train moving West. Both use the idea of the Nativity, but instead of the traditional Mary and Joseph in a barn, he uses figures from other cultures and time periods.
Messiah: Christ in Art is on exhibit from December 17, 2022 through January 22, 2023 at the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art. For more information, visit www.mgmoa.org.
Make Your Own Artist Christmas Card
· All you need is paper and something to draw with - pencil, markers, colored pencils, paint, etc. Use what you have and be creative!
· Fold the paper in half
· Decide the image you want for the front of the Christmas card. Do you want a Christmas tree? Your family? Angels? Nativity? Your pet?
· What colors do you want to use? Do you want to use glitter?
· Now decide what you want the card to say inside. Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings or something else
· Don’t forget to sign the card!
·Now give it to a friend or family member!
