Victorian Die-Cut Greeting Card with Child, Flowers & Lace

The card presents a child's face floating disembodied above a pastoral winter scene like some kind of rosy-cheeked overseer of the damned, with a decorative bow below like a gift tag on what is essentially a human head. Floating disembodied above a pastoral winter scene, the blond child's portrait peers out from an elaborate ivory lattice-work panel while the intricate die-cut lace surround — all Victorian excess and perforated grandeur — is bordered by an explosion of pink blossoms and forget-me-nots so aggressively cheerful they feel like a threat. The composition essentially presents a child's decapitated head and a snowy red-roofed cottage as equally weighted decorative objects, which tells you everything you need to know about Victorian gift-giving priorities.