【简译】维多利亚时代的圣诞贺卡

2022-12-09 13:59 作者:神尾智代 0人读过 | 我要投稿

Printed Christmas cards became popular in the Victorian period (1837-1901) thanks to a combination of cheaper printing techniques and even cheaper post, with the arrival of the Penny Black postage stamp. Coming in all shapes, sizes, and materials, Christmas cards were sent in their millions to all corners of the British Empire. Victorian illustrators created an entire mythology of exactly what we imagine a European Christmas should look like with their now-classic scenes of present-covered Christmas trees, holly, robins, sleighs, and snow-covered country lanes. When we dream of a white Christmas, it is the festive cards of the 19th century which are largely responsible for that evergreen imagery.

印刷圣诞贺卡在维多利亚时期（1837-1901年）开始流行，这要归功于低成本的印刷技术，以及由于黑便士邮票的出现而更便宜的邮政系统。以各种形状、尺寸和材料印刷的圣诞贺卡被数以百万计地送往大英帝国的各个角落。维多利亚时代的插图画家围绕着我们应该如何看待欧洲圣诞节创造了一个名副其实的神话，其现在的经典场景是挂满礼物的圣诞树、冬青、知更鸟和白雪覆盖的乡间小道。当我们幻想一个白色圣诞节时，19世纪的节日贺卡在很大程度上对这种经典意象产生了巨大影响。

一张可追溯到约1887年的圣诞卡，显示了一名士兵。由哈里-佩恩绘制，军事主题受到那些向大英帝国各地武装部门的家庭成员寄送卡片的人的欢迎。(维多利亚和阿尔伯特博物馆，伦敦)

起源

Adults have, of course, been writing letters to each other for centuries. Even before there was an official public post system, letters were delivered in person, by servants, and via transport coaches. There had also been prints made from the 15th century, using woodcuts or copperplate printing techniques, especially for calendars. It was, though, in the Victorian period that several factors conspired to make printed Christmas cards the hugely popular phenomenon they became.

的确，几个世纪以来，成年人之间一直在互相写信。即使在公共邮政系统正式存在之前，信件都是由仆人或运输车辆亲自寄送的。自 15 世纪以来，人们就已经使用木版画或铜版制作印记，尤其是日历。然而，在维多利亚时期，多种因素汇聚在一起，使圣诞贺卡成为一种非常流行的时尚。

The historians Antony and Peter Miall suggest in The Victorian Christmas Book that the origins of cards for the festive season lie in the classroom. From the 18th century, schoolmasters had their pupils work on a 'Christmas Piece' in the month of December. This work involved pupils selecting a sheet of fine paper and producing a sample of their writing, principally to show off to their parents evidence of their academic progress that year. The paper often came with a decorated engraved border, and by the 19th century, it was popular for the pupils to draw their own decorative borders using coloured ink. "These offerings were the forerunners of the great Victorian Christmas Card" (Miall, 37).

历史学家安东尼和彼得·米亚尔在《维多利亚时代的圣诞书》中提出，节日贺卡的起源于教室。自18世纪以来，教师让学生在12月完成“圣诞作业”。这项作业涉及学生选择一张精美的纸张，并制作他们的写作样本，主要是为了向他们的父母展示他们那一年的学业进步证据。纸张上通常有一个装饰性的雕刻边框，到了19世纪，学生们用彩色墨水绘制自己的装饰边框，这很受欢迎。“这些礼物是伟大的维多利亚时代圣诞贺卡的先驱”（Miall，37）。

Other sources of inspiration for the decorative Christmas card may have been printed music sheets with decorative borders and covers, engravings commissioned to mark important anniversaries, school reward cards for hard-working pupils, fine illustrated notepaper, and the more ornate varieties of visiting cards which were left when one called upon someone and they were not at home.

装饰性圣诞贺卡的其他灵感来源可能是带有装饰性边框和封面的印刷乐谱、为纪念重要纪念日而委托制作的版画、学校对勤奋学习的学生的奖励贺卡、精美的插图信纸，以及当人们拜访某人而对方不在家时留下的华丽的各种拜访卡。

一张 1848 年的圣诞贺卡，由 William Maw Edgley（1826-19116 年）印刷，展示了普遍欢乐的场景，并且首次在此类贺卡上印有冬青。寄件人在卡片最上面写下收件人的名字，并在卡片底部签上他们的名字。

第一张圣诞贺卡

Sir Henry Cole (1808-1882) was a civil servant who had, in 1840, reformed the British postal system by helping to create the Universal Penny Post where senders used the now-famous Penny Black postage stamps. Cole would later become the first director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. In 1843, Cole had a brilliant idea. Not only could he save himself writing different individualised letters to his friends and family at Christmas but he could also brighten the season with a colourful card printed for the express purpose of sending his compliments of the season. Accordingly, Cole commissioned John Callcott Horsley (1817-1903), an artist and illustrator who was a member of the Royal Academy, to produce the first printed Christmas card.

亨利·科尔爵士（1808-1882）是一名国家公务员，他在1840年帮助国家创建了环球便士邮政，寄件人使用著名的黑便士邮票进行邮寄，改革了英国的邮政系统。科尔后来成为伦敦维多利亚和阿尔伯特博物馆的第一任馆长。1843年，科尔有了一个绝妙的想法，他不仅可以省去在圣诞节给朋友和家人单独写个性化信件的麻烦，而且还可以用印有彩色卡片的方式来为假期增添节日氛围。因此，科尔委托曾是皇家学院成员的艺术家和插图画家约翰·卡尔科特·霍斯利（1817-1903）制作了第一张印刷圣诞贺卡。

Horsley's design for the card, which was about the size of an ordinary visiting card (2 x 3 inches or 5 x 7.5 cm), showed different generations of the Horsley family raising a toast – presumably to the absent friend who is the recipient of the card – while flanked with scenes showing acts of charity, then, as now, an important element of the Christmas season. On the left are people giving food to the needy, and on the right, they give clothing. There was a border of a wood frame intertwined with ivy, and below the main image a greeting of "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You". There was a space along the very top and bottom of the card left blank to write a short handwritten and personalised message to the receiver. One thousand such cards were printed and then hand-coloured. The cards went on sale to the public at the rather high price of one shilling per card. Perhaps unsurprisingly for a new and relatively expensive idea, there were few buyers.

霍斯利为卡片设计的尺寸与普通访问卡差不多（2 x 3英寸或5 x 7.5厘米），上面显示了霍斯利家族不同世代的人在举杯庆祝，估计是向不在的朋友敬酒，他是卡片的收件人；而两边是显示慈善行为的场景，就像现在一样，这成为圣诞节一个重要的组成部分。左边是人们向有需要的人提供食物，右边是给他们衣服。画面的边框是由常春藤交织而成的木框，主画面下面是“祝你圣诞快乐，新年吉祥”的问候语。卡片的顶部和底部留有空白，可以给收件人写上简短的手写和个性化的信息。印刷了一千张这样的卡片，然后进行手工上色。这些卡片以每张一先令的高价向公众出售。对于一个新且相对昂贵的想法，购买者寥寥无几，这也许并不令人惊讶。

一张 19 世纪晚期的圣诞贺卡，展示了知更鸟和雪景。边界是穿孔的，类似于蕾丝。（维多利亚和阿尔伯特博物馆，伦敦）

理念的普及

Fortunately for the future of Christmas cards, the royal family was enthusiastic for all things Christmassy. In particular, Prince Albert (1819-1861) brought German Christmas traditions to England such as the Christmas tree. It was, though, the younger members of the royal family who adopted the idea of sending each other handmade greeting cards both at Christmas and New Year. Queen Victoria must have approved since she later started the trend of public figures sending 'official' Christmas cards showing more often than not themselves and their family in a festive setting.

幸运的是，对于圣诞贺卡的未来，王室热衷于圣诞节的所有事物。特别是阿尔伯特亲王（1819-1861），他将德国的圣诞传统带到了英国，如圣诞树。不过，正是王室的年轻成员接受了在圣诞节和新年互相发送手工贺卡的想法，维多利亚女王一定很赞同，因为后来公众人物寄出“官方”圣诞贺卡成为一种时尚，最常见的是在节日环境中展示他们自己和他们的家人。

Then in 1844, there was another attempt at the commercial Christmas card, and this was much more successful. Mr W. C. T. Dobson sold a printed card which carried an illustration of the "Spirit of Christmas". In 1848, a card printed by William Maw Edgley (1826-1916) repeated the theme of Cole's card but added scenes of general merriment and holly to the imagery. Printers now knew they were onto a good thing, and they became more and more ambitious with the designs of their cards which were available to buy in stationers and bookshops. From 1879, rather than pricey single cards, people could buy cheap packs of cards from tobacconists and toy shops, often imported from Germany. This development went hand-in-hand with the new half-penny post for postcards, and so now people of all classes could send Christmas cards to their loved ones.

1844年，在商业圣诞贺卡上又有了新的尝试，而且这次更加成功。威廉·查尔斯·托马斯·道布森先生出售了一张印有“圣诞精魂”插图的卡片。1848年，威廉·莫·埃格利（William Maw Edgley，1826-1916）印制的卡片重复了科尔卡片的主题，但在图像中加入了冬青树和一些欢乐场景。印刷商们现在知道他们是在做一件划算的事，他们在卡片的设计上变得越来越有野心，人们可以在文具店和书店都可以买到圣诞贺卡。从1879年起，人们可以从烟草店和玩具店购买廉价的卡片包，而不是价格昂贵的单张卡片，这些卡片通常是从德国进口的。这一发展与新的半便士明信片的发行相辅相成，因此现在各个阶层的人都可以向他们所爱的人寄送圣诞贺卡。

维多利亚时代的圣诞贺卡设计

The first cards were printed on small single sheets of card, but they soon progressed to come in all shapes and sizes. Victorian Christmas cards were typically lithographed and hand-coloured before colour-printing took over. Many used embossed paper, sometimes with cut-out parts to resemble lace, particularly for borders. There were even cards decorated with ribbons, tassels, real lace, tinsel, and coloured glass. Satin, silk, and brocade were also popular materials to enhance the feel of the card. The most exotic of cards were scented, had padded additions, and incorporated pressed flowers. One card for sale boasted it was made of no fewer than 750 separate pieces. If one creation reflected the Victorian love of accumulating individual beautiful materials to create an even more beautiful finished article, it was the Christmas card. With so many possible materials being used in a single card, it is no wonder that draper's shops included them in their Christmas stock.

第一批卡片是印在小的单张卡片上的，但它们很快就发展成各种形状和尺寸。维多利亚时代的圣诞贺卡通常是平版印刷和手工上色的，后来才出现彩色印刷。许多贺卡是使用压花纸制成的，有时还剪出一些类似花边的部分，特别是在边框上。甚至还有用丝带、流苏、皇家花边、金属丝和彩色玻璃装饰的卡片。缎子、丝绸和锦缎也是增强卡片质感的流行材料。最具异国情调的卡片带有香味，有填充物，还有压制的花朵。有一张出售的卡片吹嘘它是由不少于750个独立的部件组成的。如果说有一种创作反映了维多利亚时代对积累个别美丽材料以创造出更美丽的成品的热爱，那就是圣诞贺卡。由于一张卡片可以使用如此多的材料，难怪裁缝店会把它们列入圣诞物品中。

There was a great variety in the shape of cards, too, with the most popular ranging from the classic rectangular form to oval, circular, diamond, crescent, and bell-shaped cards. Some cards were folded, others made into fan shapes, or they reflected the object they illustrated such as a post box or purse. Cards might include moving parts or flaps that could be opened to reveal an additional scene or message. Some had tabs that, when pulled, moved the legs and arms of a character on the front of the card or they had a disk that could be turned to show different scenes in a central window.

贺卡的形状也有很大的变化，最受欢迎的是经典的长方形，还有椭圆形、圆形、菱形、新月形和钟形卡片。有些贺卡是折叠的，有些做成扇形，或者反映出它们所说明的对象，如邮筒或钱包。贺卡可能还有活动部分或可打开的部件，以显示其他场景或信息。有些卡片上有标签，拉开后可以移动卡片正面人物的腿和胳膊，或者有一个可以转动的圆盘，在中央窗口显示不同的场景。

There were all kinds of subjects depicted on cards, many of which included humorous cartoons and everyday life, sometimes not at all related to Christmas. Religious themes remained popular such as angels and scenes from the Nativity, but there was a definite shift away from these to more secular subjects as the Victorian era progressed. Victorian illustrators were not without humour or fear of the risqué, nor did they miss the opportunity to trick the viewer with many cards showing two scenes depending on which direction the card was held.

贺卡上有各种各样的主题，其中许多包括幽默的漫画和日常生活，有时与圣诞节完全没有关系。宗教主题仍然很受欢迎，如天使和耶稣诞生的场景，但随着维多利亚时代的发展，这些主题肯定会转向更多的世俗主题。维多利亚时代的插画师并不是没有幽默感，也不是不害怕冒失，他们也没有错过欺骗观众的机会，这些卡片会根据卡片所持的方向显示两种不同的场景。

Victorian illustrators were largely responsible for what we today imagine as a classic 'Christmas scene': old churches and country lanes in the snow, sleigh rides, plump robins, glistening holly and mistletoe, and presents on or under the Christmas tree. The popular snow scenes on Victorian Christmas cards reflected the string of harsh winters in England through the 1830s and 1840s. White Christmases became much rarer thereafter, but the scene in people's imaginations was by then set. In the same way, the Christmas food we imagine being eaten by Dickensian characters in the 19th century is, like in the cards, always golden roast turkeys and great steaming Christmas puddings the size of cannon balls.

维多利亚时代的插画师对我们今天所想象的经典“圣诞场景”负有很大责任：雪中的古老教堂和乡间小路、雪橇、丰满的知更鸟、闪闪发光的冬青树和槲寄生装饰品，以及圣诞树上或树下的礼物。维多利亚时代圣诞卡上流行的雪景反映了19世纪30年代和40年代英国一系列的严冬。此后，白色的圣诞节变得更加稀少，但人们印象中的场景已经确定。同样，我们印象中狄更斯笔下的人物在19世纪所吃的圣诞食物，就像贺卡上的一样，总是金色的烤火鸡和像炮弹一样大的热腾腾的圣诞布丁。

Father Christmas was a popular figure on cards, but he evolved over the decades, his appearance morphing from a Falstaffian character to a jolly old man with blue trousers and a crown of holly, and finally on to his definitive red suit with white fur trim. Father Christmas' mode of transport also evolved to keep up with the times, The Victorian Father Christmas used any means he could to reach people's chimneys such as the popular bicycle of the 1880s, the new motor car of the 1890s, the ever-growing modern railway network, or even a hot air balloon.

圣诞老人是卡片上的一个受欢迎的人物，但他在几十年间不断演变，他的外表从一个福斯塔夫式的外表变成了一个穿着蓝色长裤、戴着冬青冠的快乐老人，最后变成了他那件带有白色毛边的鲜明红色套装。圣诞老人的交通方式也随着时代的发展而变化，维多利亚时代的圣诞老人使用任何可以到达人们烟囱的方式，如19世纪80年代流行的自行车，19世纪90年代的新汽车，不断扩大的现代铁路网络，甚至是热气球。

Christmas cards had become such a staple part of the season that they now attracted the top artists to illustrate them, names like Linnie Watts, who produced a series of cards showing children, and Harry Payne, who drew soldiers, a poignant theme for those with loved ones serving far from home in the armed forces of the British Empire.

圣诞贺卡已经成为这个季节的主要组成部分，以至于它们现在吸引了顶级艺术家为其绘制插图，如琳妮·瓦特，他制作了一系列展示儿童的贺卡；还有哈里·佩恩，他画的是士兵，对于那些有亲人在大英帝国的武装部队中远离家乡服役的人来说，这是一个凄凉的主题。

Cards changed over time as tastes changed. For example, black backgrounds to make the main picture more striking were popular in the 1870s. Cards reflected modern trends in art, too. By the end of the century, art nouveau designs were appearing, with highly decorative designs and subjects inspired by the works of such fashionable artists as Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939). With cards being sent around the world, the tradition quickly took root in other countries, notably in the United States from 1874, with the cards printed by Louis Prang (1824-1909), popularly known as "the father of American Christmas cards".

随着时间的推移，人们的口味不断变化。例如，在19世纪70年代，为了使主要图片更加醒目，黑色背景的贺卡很流行。贺卡也反映了现代艺术的趋势。到本世纪末，新艺术设计开始出现，其高度装饰性的设计和主题受到阿尔丰斯·慕夏（1860-1939）等时尚艺术家作品的启发。随着贺卡被送往世界各地，这一传统很快在其他国家扎根，特别是自1874年起在美国，由路易斯·普朗（1824-1909）印制的贺卡，被人们称为“美国圣诞贺卡之父”。

第一张印刷的圣诞贺卡，由亨利·科尔爵士（1808-82 年）委托，约翰·卡尔科特·霍斯利（1817-1903 年）于 1843 年绘制。该贺卡印了 1000 份。（维多利亚和阿尔伯特博物馆，伦敦）

圣诞贺卡文本

On the front, inside or on the reverse of the card, the printed text also became more varied through the years, and below are some 19th-century examples:

在卡片的正面、内部或背面，印刷的文字也随着时间的推移变得更加多样，下面是一些19世纪的例子：

Love and Peace with thee abide

Through the holy Christmastide!

爱与和平，与你同在

贯穿整个神圣的圣诞节!

Very happy may it be

Christmas time to thine and thee.

祝你快乐

祝福你和你的圣诞时光

We live in deeds

in thoughts not breaths

not years

in feelings not in figures

on a dial.

我们生活在行动中，而不是岁月；在思想中，而不是在呼吸中；在感觉中，而不是在表盘上的数字中。（菲利普·詹姆斯·贝利 (PHILIP JAMES BAILEY) 的《我们生活在行动中，而不是岁月》）

May Christmas bring thee peace and plenty,

Barns and cellars never empty.

A horn of honest wholesome beer,

Will warm the heart, the spirits cheer.

愿圣诞给你带来平安和富足。

谷仓和地窖永不空。

健康纯正的啤酒号角

将温暖人心，振奋精神。

May your Christmas happy be,

Fraught with every joy for thee;

And throughout each year in store,

Peace be with thee evermore.

愿你的圣诞快乐。

充满喜悦。

贯穿每一年。

愿平安永远与你同在。

Cards often came with longer printed texts such as poems or several verses of popular carols. An example of a typical verse within a Victorian Christmas card is:

卡片上常常印有较长的文字，如诗歌或流行颂歌的几节。维多利亚时代的圣诞卡中的典型诗句的例子是：

Oh, Life is but a river;

And in our childhood, we

But a fair running streamlet

Adorn'd with flowers see.

哦，生命不过是一条河流。

而在我们的童年，

只是一条美丽的小溪

饰以鲜花。

But as we grow more earnest,

The river grows more deep;

And where we laugh'd in childhood,

We, older, pause to weep.

但随着我们越来越成熟

河水越来越深。

在我们童年时欢笑的地方。

我们老了，就会停下来哭泣。

Each Christmas as it passes,

Some change to us doth bring;

Yet to our friends the closer,

As Time creeps on, we cling.

(Miall, 43)

每一个圣诞节都会过去。

都会给我们带来一些变化。

但对我们的朋友来说，却更加亲近。

随着时间的推移，我们依依不舍。

(Miall, 43)

收集圣诞贺卡

Beautifully made and capturing memories of the season, the Victorian middle classes became avid collectors of Christmas cards, which explains why it became common to have the year printed somewhere on the card. Perhaps the most famous card collector was George Buday – he even wrote a celebrated book on the history of Christmas cards, his The Story of the Christmas Card – and he donated his collection of over 3,000 cards to the Victoria and Albert Museum. This museum today has over 15,000 Christmas cards in its archives and each Christmas it reprints old Victorian designs so that they can, once more, just as in days of yore, carry people's Christmas wishes far and wide.

由于贺卡的制作精美，且包含了季节的记忆，维多利亚时代的中产阶级成为圣诞贺卡的狂热收藏者，这也解释了为什么在卡片上印有年份的做法变得很普遍。也许最著名的卡片收藏家是乔治·布迪，他甚至写了一本关于圣诞贺卡历史的著名书籍《圣诞贺卡的故事》，他将自己收藏的3000多张卡片捐赠给维多利亚和阿尔伯特博物馆。今天，该博物馆的档案中有超过15,000张圣诞贺卡，并且每年圣诞节都会重印维多利亚时代的老设计，以便它们能够像昔日一样承载世界各地人们的圣诞祝福。