Victorian Thanksgiving Girl with Turkey - Chromolithograph Greeting Card
Text on Card
Best Wishes FOR A HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Love light your home, and shed its rays On this and all Thanksgiving days Your heart be gay, and all things splendid And you—quite sorry when all is ended.
Description
At the center of this composition stands a young girl with golden ringlets dressed in a teal dress and white bonnet, cradling an oversized turkey with vibrant red and brown plumage. The whimsical arrangement presents the bird as nearly as large as the child herself, creating an amusing juxtaposition of scale typical of late-19th-century lithographic design. The card's poetic verse reads: "Love light your home, and shed its rays / On this and all Thanksgiving days / Your heart be gay, / and all things splendid / And you—quite sorry when all is ended." This sentimental message, combined with the golden hues and detailed featherwork, exemplifies the Victorian-era greeting card tradition of pairing whimsy with heartfelt wishes during the harvest season.
Subjects
young girl, turkey, thanksgiving, bonnet, period clothing
Printing Notes
Hand-colored chromolithographic process with rich embossing effects characteristic of premium Victorian greeting cards.
