Victorian Christmas Card Boy with Flowers Colonial Costume
Text on Card
A MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Description
A classical garden setting with stone balustrades, ornamental urns, and soft painterly foliage in warm amber and teal tones provides the backdrop for a charming Victorian Christmas card. In this elegant composition stands a young boy dressed in 18th-century colonial attire — a crimson velvet jacket, cream waistcoat, pale blue breeches, and white stockings — holding a vibrant bouquet of pansies and violets. His coy expression and raised finger to his lips suggest he may be delivering a secret token of holiday affection. The central illustration is framed by an exquisitely embossed gold border with intricate scrollwork, geometric panels, and floral motifs — hallmarks of premium Victorian chromolithography. Published by Marcus Ward & Co., one of the most celebrated greeting card publishers of the era, this card exemplifies the refined aesthetic taste that defined high-end Victorian holiday ephemera. The engraving credit reads 'Eng. Sta. Hall,' indicating professional plate engraving.
Subjects
boy, flowers, bouquet, garden, colonial costume
Printing Notes
Embossed gold decorative border with intricate scrollwork; high-quality chromolithographic central illustration; engraving credited to Sta. Hall.
