Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

CHRISTMAS CARD

Date Range From

1940

Date Range To

1970

Materials

PAPER

No. Pieces

1

Length

15.2

Width

12.5

Description

CHRISTMAS CARD DISPLAYING A CHRISTMAS TREE ON TOP OF THE WORLD. TREE DECORATED WITH PRESENTS TAGGED WITH NAMES OF COUNTRIES. HOLLY AND BERRIES DEPICTED AS BORDER. CARD MARKED "CHRISTMAS GREETINGS TO SOMEONE FAR AWAY". CARD OPENS TO POP-UP OF TREE. BACKGROUND YELLOW WITH BLACK TEXT OFFERING CHRISTMAS GREETING. BACK OF CARD MARKED "A.M. DAVIS & CO QUALITY CARDS LONDON. BRITISH MANUFACTURE.".

Subjects

DOCUMENTARY ARTIFACT

Historical Association

LEISURE

COMMEMORATIVE

History

ACCORDING TO THE DONOR TREVOR BENNET AT TIME OF DONATION, HE SAID "THIS WAS PROBABLY SENT TO ME FROM MY GRANDMOTHER, ELIZABETH ANN SILMAN (EDWARDS) WHO DIED IN 1951. I REMEMBER IT BEING BROUGHT OUT EACH YEAR FOR MANY YEARS. FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE PERMANENT FILE. *UPDATE* IN 2018 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF THE COLLECTION, INCLUDING A NUMBER OF ARTIFACTS DONATED BY TREVOR BENNETT. ON AUGUST 28, 2018, PUNDYK SAT DOWN WITH BENNETT FOR AN INTERVIEW REGARDING THAT DONATION. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM THAT INTERVIEW: ON THE CHRISTMAS CARD BENNETT STATED, “I LIKED THIS BECAUSE IT SHOWED THAT CHRISTMAS CAN BE CELEBRATED ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD AND I LIKED THE CARDS THAT WERE ON IT AND SOME OF THESE CANDLES THAT WERE ON THE END WOULD, I BELIEVE, STOOD OUT. MY GRANDMOTHER, THAT MUST HAVE BEEN REALLY EXPENSIVE, I WAS REALLY PLEASED WITH THAT SO I USED TO, AT CHRISTMAS TIME, PULL THAT OUT AND PUT IT ON MY DRESSER. SO I STORED IT AS WITH THE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS.” “ANY SIGNATURES, I THINK, WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE BACK OR ELSE THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A SEPARATE PIECE OF PAPER THEY COULD HAVE PUT WITH THEM AND THAT HAS QUIETLY EVAPORATED… I THINK IT PROBABLY HAD A LETTER ON THE BACK OF IT AND THE LETTER HAS BECOME LOST. YES. MY GRANDMOTHER WOULD NEVER HAVE WRITTEN ON IT BECAUSE THE WRITING WOULD HAVE GONE THROUGH AND SPOILED IT. IT WAS USED AS A CHRISTMAS DECORATION… I REMEMBER BRINGING IT OUT EVERY CHRISTMAS FOR A LOT OF YEARS. IT WAS EITHER GOING TO FALL APART OR I HAD TO PUT IT SOMEPLACE SAFE. AND I THOUGHT THIS WAS SOMEPLACE SAFE.” ON HIS GRANDMOTHER, ELIZABETH ANN SILMAN (EDWARDS), “[SHE WAS] MY MOTHER’S MOTHER…. I WAS 3 1/2 WHEN SHE DIED SO THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN, WHAT, 1951. I CAN ONLY REMEMBER HER ON THE BASIS OF THE SUMMER OF 1951. MY MOTHER AND I WENT TO ENGLAND BECAUSE MY GRANDMOTHER WAS SERIOUSLY ILL AND SHE DIED THAT YEAR. AND I REMEMBER HER SITTING DOWN IN A GREAT BIG ARMCHAIR MAKING PLASTICINE TOYS FOR ME, A PIG, AN ANIMAL FEEDING TROUGH, A CHICKEN, A RABBIT AND SOMETHING ELSE IN RED PLASTICINE. SHE TOLD WONDERFUL STORIES THAT SHE MADE UP. SHE TRIED TO TEACH ME TO PRINT AND THAT WAS A WASTE OF TIME. I WAS TOO YOUNG. AND THAT’S ALL I CAN REALLY REMEMBER. YES, [THE CARD WAS A REMINDER]. IT WAS ONE OF THE HAPPY MEMORIES OF LIFE.” ON CHRISTMAS GROWING UP, “A WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS WE STARTED DECORATING AND THEY STAYED UP ‘TIL JANUARY 1ST AND TAKEN DOWN ON JANUARY 2ND, AND THE BOXES FOR MOST OF THESE ITEMS WERE KEPT SO THEY’RE ABLE TO GO BACK IN THE BOXES. I WAS [RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DECORATIONS]. I HAD TO FIND THEM AND PUT THEM UP TAKE THEM DOWN, PACK THEM PROPERLY. AND IF THEY WEREN’T PACKED PROPERLY, NOTHING WAS SAID, THEY WERE JUST SIMPLY THROWN OUT. MY MOTHER WAS VERY GOOD AT HAVING THINGS TIDIED UP AND PUT AWAY WHERE THEY SHOULD GO. IF YOU COULDN’T TIDY IT UP, YOU COULDN’T KEEP IT. THAT WASN’T A BAD WAY OF GROWING UP. IT MADE ME LEARN RESPONSIBILITY FAST.” “[CHRISTMAS] WAS A NICE BREAK IN THE YEARLY ROUTINE. IT WAS A CHANCE TO MEET GOOD PEOPLE YOU ONLY SAW ONCE A YEAR. THE STORES HAD ALL SORTS OF NEAT THINGS. I REMEMBER EATON’S HAD AN ELECTRIC TRAIN SET WITH WONDERFUL SCENERY AROUND IT, THAT THEY USED TO SET UP IN THE BASEMENT OF THE STORE A CORNER. IT ATTRACTED ME AND DOZENS OF OTHER KIDS AS WELL.” FOR INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20060032012

Acquisition Date

2006-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail