Charles Goodall & Son, London

The first appearance of the Victorian Christmas card is dated to 1843. It was a privately commissioned affair, and a number of years passed before holiday greeting cards were widely available to the consumer. Decorated stationery and visiting cards with holiday themes were common in the 1850's, but Charles Goodall & Son, a playing card manufacturer, issued the first substantial commercial edition of holiday greeting cards in 1862. The first cards were of a style similar to visiting cards, small with a simple greeting and decorated with die-stamped foliage or fauna.