Victorian Merry Christmas Holly Bells Greeting Card

In what can only be interpreted as a Victorian-era decorator's fever dream, three olive-green bells dangle from a holly wreath bursting with aggressively red berries, lashed together by a single sinuous golden ribbon that loops and trails across the composition like it's auditioning for Art Nouveau. The bells themselves sport ornate gold filigree detailing and little brass rivets at their crowns, lending them the energy of very fancy cowbells that attended finishing school. 'Merry Christmas' floats serenely in the wreath's hollow center, blissfully unaware that it is surrounded by the most chaotic tangle of ribbon, foliage, and brass since someone let a Victorian child decorate unsupervised. Artist Ellen H. Clapsaddle proudly signed her work in the lower right corner — somehow making three bells look like they're in the middle of a very slow collision.