20th Century Artists’ Christmas cards

During the interwar years there were a great many pioneering artists and designers working under the broad umbrella of ‘Modernism’ or ‘Industrial Art’ in Britain. Whilst they did not all employ the same visual language or subscribe to same design ideology, it was a time of collaboration, fraternisation and sharing of ideas. Many studied at the same institutions, attended the same exhibitions and kept in touch via good old fashioned letter-writing (amongst others, Edward Bawden, Enid Marx, Barbara Hepworth and Eric Ravilious all met whilst studying at the RCA in the mid-1920s). And so the practice of designing and sending Christmas cards was customary amongst this coterie of creative acquaintances.

Given the season, I thought I would share some of these festive cards from the 1930s-50s. I think you'll enjoy the wit and ingenuity in these little printed treasures.

Christmas card from Betty (Ada) Swanwick to Edward Bawden, c.1938.
Image from Edward Bawden Scrapbooks, Peyton Skipwith and Brian Webb.

Two Christmas cards by Peggy Angus - the left hand-painted (1934) and the right block printed with hand colouring. Images from Edward Bawden Scrapbooks, Peyton Skipwith and Brian Webb.

Block printed and handpainted card by Joyce Clissold of Footprints Studio, c.1930s. Image UAL CSM Museum and Study Collection.

Christmas card from Milner and Gnade Gray to Edward Bawden. Image from Edward Bawden Scrapbooks, Peyton Skipwith and Brian Webb.

Card by painter Ceri Richards, gouache on paper, 1936. Image © Liss Llewellyn.

Two Christmas / New Year cards by Enid Marx, from 1952 and 1955.

Lithograph Christmas card by Barnett Freedman, 1954. Image © Liss Llewellyn.