Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories 2010, Christmas Cards

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Still on the road, heading somewhere west, day by day, stopping when and where.  If you are a regular reader you know I am still managing to blog daily (amazing to me that I am finding the time). I am having trouble keeping up with all the fun, wonderful things we are doing and the friends and family we are visiting.  I am more than a few days behind!  LOL

I found this reference to holiday cards and letters and I just have to share it with you, and cannot think of a better day to do this than the day the Genea-Bloggers are focusing on Christmas Cards via their Advent Calendar project.

Last year I wrote about my "annoying" holiday letters.  They may be annoying to some, but, I noted then, as I do now, that they do record our family history through the years and that many of ours have been saved to reference, re-read and enjoy again.

A week or so, Man, knowing how I love history, Christmas and such handed me an article that appeared in a magazine about Lenawee County, Fall 2010, where I found this delightful little history about Christmas cards, part of which I now share with you.

"Christmas Cards

In 1843, London business man Henry Cole commissioned artist John Horsley to produce a card he could send in lieu of a holiday letter.  It was a hand-colored deigned lithographed onto cardboard that featured family members raising wine glasses in a toast.  The card bore the message "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You".  Horsley printed 1,000 copies to sell in London stores.  The idea reportedly caught on because they were inexpensive to send...."

You did see that part about in lieu of a holiday letter, right??  So, that means, if I am reading this little tidbit right, that the holiday letter was FIRST.  Well, my my!  That means my annoying holiday letter was just returning to the traditions of old.  Hee hee.  Not annoying, but, A TRADITION!  Ya, gotta love a good history, err, Christmas card, err, letter lesson.

Now, I need to write my 2010 traditional annoying little Christmas letter - - so, excuse me - - I'll be back soon with more on THE Trip. 

* The disclaimer, the paragraph quoted comes from "Lenawee", Fall 2010, they have a web site at:  http://www.lenaweemagazine.com/.  (Link was not functional in April 2019.)  They published this, they own the copyright stuff, I borrowed almost all of the article, not quite, but heavily.  I thank them for the article and the giggles it has given me.

** Photo taken by Moi in Grapevine, Texas, through a store window.  Those little elves must be copyrighted, they cost like $150.00 each.  WOW!

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THE Trip, A Visit to the World Organization of China Painters

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Note, this is a multi-part blog post, part 1 discussed Maud, her painting, some personal history and how Man and I came to own a vanity set she painted. Part 2 of this series was a transcription of an interview she gave in 1932, so interesting, packed full of history. This post, part 3, discusses our visit to the World Organization of China Painting, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

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One of the special stops I had planned for Oklahoma City was to visit the World Organization of China Painters. I am not a china painter, heavens, I am the worst painter. No, I wanted to visit because a Lashbrook bride was a china painter, famous as a matter of fact. I had contacted them several years back asking some questions about Maud Lashbrook, china painter. They provided me with some information, and informed me that they had several pieces of her work at the Museum. I added the Museum to my bucket list of places to stop if I ever got back to OK City.

Man and I were NOT disappointed. I arrived with copies of group sheets, news articles and photos of the 3 pieces of Maud’s china that Man and I own. When we asked about Maud, we were shown a display case with 12 examples of her painted plates. For the next hour or more they showed me Maud painted china and I shared with them all my research on Maud. Totally delightful.

Display case, all 12 plates painted by Maud Lashbrook
World Organization of China Painters.

Many of the plates had little "bugs", quite charming.

 
And, these two pieces, one for collecting hair, the other for powder, are similar to the vanity set that Man and I own, except the main flowers on ours are pink. I did note that the blue of the bowl is almost exactly the same color as our vanity set, as is the gold rim.
 

 
Our visit at the World Organization of China Painters was so much fun.  One that Man and I will have fond memories of for many years.

 

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