Who Were They?

This card made by Hildesheimer & Faulkner features a large silver cross adorned with lilies or daisies, and the text “Christmas Joy.” Below that is Psalm 48:14 “God is our God for ever and ever.”

Fortunately for me, someone else has done a bit of research on this publisher of greeting cards, and so we now know they were formed in 1876 in London, England and operated until the 1890s. The employed an American agent, but I wasn’t able to find much about their American enterprise. A few different websites refer to a contest held by the company in 1881, in which artists would submit their designs in the hopes of winning part of the £5000 prize package. The first winner was Alice Havers, however the designs were unfortunately reviewed as rather pedestrian. Regardless, she won and her illustrations were purchased by many as part of a selection of Christmas greeting cards.