Publisher's or Printer's marks

Le Carnet de cartophil Belge - Belgian postcards collection and straight to the publisher/printer logo's page.
Metropolitan Postcard Club
The Postcard Album (TPA)

Fold-out cards and pull-out cards (name?): Maybe not all Christmas cards, but lovely anyway

Christmas card drawing by the belgian artist Germaine Hagemans (1897-1985). Text on the card:
"Folka": it seems that people with this family name come from the USA and Canada
"Hopital Molière
Air Force
1er Décembre 44"
Germaine Hagemans"

There is a hospital with this name in 1190 Forest, Brussels

On the right: "Grand Wishes w/o Folka G.A."

Inside is a double sheet probably for text, all bound together with a ribbon with the Belgian tricolor (red-yellow-black).

On the back is pencilled "VX=" :

Card, also drawing by the belgian artist Germaine Hagemans (1897-1985). Text on the card:
"Thanks a million Glenn Falco.... 24/10/44 Brussels"
signature "Germaine Hagemans"

Inside is also a double sheet for text, all bound together with a ribbon with the Belgian tricolor (red-yellow-black).

On the back is pencilled "VX=" :

Spanish Christmas Greetings Trade Cards - Felicitaciones de Navidad de Oficios

History based on information received from the Biblioteca Nacional de España (B.N.E.), Clara Ortega, Servicio de Divulgación y Gestión de la Colección Sala Goya.

Previous to the Christmas card that appeared in 1843 in Great Britain, in Spain they developed another type of congratulation cards that deviated from the postal type, not so much for its format as for its intentionality: cards distributed by the workers of public offices and trades with the clear intention to get a bonus or a tip.

In Spain the first Christmas greeting of which there is a record dates from 1931 and was the work of the delivery men/women of the newspaper of Barcelona founded by the Marquis de Brusi. These workers were the first to use greeting cards based on texts printed in the lithography workshops founded by Brusi in 1820, therefore, before the English Christmas cards.

However in the collection of B.N.E. a card of 1939 is conserved that reproduces on the back a text of the "sereno" (night watchman) of 1788, reason why it is not necessary to discard that they distributed this type of cards even for some years before 1831.

On most cards, the figure of the worker stands out in uniform, as in the case of the "sereno" (night watchman), or in work clothes while carrying out the tasks of his trade. Nativity scenes, food and drinks typical of Christmas and New Year include nougat, turkey, grapes, champagne, etc. Later appear other elements that are gradually incorporated into the other Christmas symbols: Christmas trees and objects for decoration, holly leaves and scenes of families buying figurines of the nativity scene.

The congratulatory formulas or phrases are almost always the same and printed or stamped on the front of the card: "El cartero felicita a usted las Pascuas de Navidad” or "El farolero les desea Felices Navidades” ( "The mailman congratulates you on Christmas" or "The lamplighter wishes you Merry Christmas "), while the text in verse with which the worker asks for the bonus or tip refers to the peculiarities of each office or trade and is printed on the back of the card.

For dating the cards shown here I must rely on the information supplied by the former owner or found on the internet, and considering the history the dating is not always correct. Corrections and information are welcome.

I was delighted to discover these special Christmas cards and will try to include some more in my collection.. For dating the cards shown here I must rely on the information supplied by the former owner or found on the internet.

Enjoy!

"El Herrero" Reproduction. Notice no text on the back.
Sometimes it seems like the design has been blown-up sothat some of the design is missing near the edges.