Victorian scented messages of love, affection and sentiment
Have you ever wondered where the custom of making and sending greeting cards came from? And what was the name of the person who commercially produced the first greeting card?
It is not known who wrote and sent the first greeting card. However, there are some speculations among experts proposing that already in ancient Egypt, greetings were written on pieces of papyrus and sent to the intended person via messenger.
It may be that the custom of sending and exchanging written and illustrated expressions of goodwill, love, regards, congratulations, sympathy, or compliments is as old as humankind. Prior to the invention of paper, it is possible they were inscribed on pieces of leather, bone, tree bark, stone or even took the form of little gifts and tokens.
But of course, these were private and individually made greetings. The first commercially produced greeting card did not happen till much later. It was a Christmas card manufactured in 1843 by British businessman Sir Henry Cole and designed by John Callcott Horsley. Their creation proved incredibly popular, and within a short period of time, the card making industry was established and rapidly growing.
