Historedia
Episode 1 of 1

First Commercial Christmas Card

When
1843
Where
London
Part of
First commercial Christmas cards sent in London

Henry Cole commissioned John Callcott Horsley to design the first commercial Christmas card in London in 1843.

Sir Henry Cole introduced the world's first commercial Christmas card in 1843. He commissioned artist John Callcott Horsley to make the artwork. This event established the commercial production of greeting cards, distinct from earlier private correspondence. The card was designed and purchased for the occasion, marking a new tradition.

Sources

  1. Henry Cole (inventor) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-04
  2. Christmas card Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-30
  3. John Callcott Horsley Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-10

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.