Festive Treasures At The Beacon Musuem
Have a break from writing your Christmas cards, The Beacon Museum has just the thing to inspire festive scribblings this season.
The first commercial Christmas card was produced in 1843 and depicted a cosy scene of a family sharing a festive drink. While much else about Christmas has changed, Christmas cards are still a mainstay of our seasonal traditions. Greetings cards are now a lucrative market in the UK, with nearly one billion festive cards sold in the UK in 2016.
A charming exhibition exploring the history of greeting cards and postcards, Little Works of Art: 100 Years of Greetings Cards’ exhibition arrived at The Beacon Museum in November and includes over 200 cards, dating from the 1850s to the 1950s. Christmas, New Year and Easter cards as well as birthday and Valentine cards are all featured.
The Beacon Museum’s Business Development Manager, Alan Irwin, said: “The cards in this exhibition are especially significant – they not only depict bygone periods, but also demonstrate a wide range of artistic styles and methods, some of which have stood the test of time and others that have been lost.”
The exhibition also includes local contributions. Inspired by the festive display, Whitehaven resident Elizabeth Mossop dug out a family heirloom, that had been stowed away for over a century. The ornate navy and gold fronted scrapbook of lovingly crafted cuttings, was created by her grandmother Ada Little, who lived locally at Arlecdon and died in 1966. The scrapbook, which has been put on display in the museum, contains tiny cards celebrating all the major festivals, as well as postcards and magazine cuttings dating back to Ada’s childhood during the 1890s.
Alan added: “We were delighted to be told the story of this beautiful collection of cards, as it has a real local connection. The cards also demonstrate how festivals have changed over the years, and also how people throughout history have collected items of beauty and charm. We still do it today in different formats, think of Pinterest and Instagram and it’s the same basic principle.”
Throughout December, the exhibition will be accompanied by the ever-popular Christmas Activity Trail, which concludes with Santa’s workshop and Grotto. Children can craft their own Christmas treats and design their own cards.
‘Little Works of Art: 100 Years of Greetings Cards’ will be on display until 7 January 2018 and Copeland Pass holders can visit the exhibition for free.
For more information visit www.thebeacon-whitehaven.co.uk
Coming Up in 2018
12 December – 7 January
Optics. An exhibition featuring experiments with lenses, lightning and luminosity. Free with Copeland Pass.
13 January – 25 March
Edith Brown, Medicine Woman. An exhibition as part of Women of Cumbria project, will detail the life of medical trailblazer and west Cumbrian, Edith Brown. Free with Copeland Pass
13 January – 18 February
Auschwitz: Understanding the past, Facing the Future. In 1993, Ayrshire based artist Gordon Cockburn visited the site of one of history’s darkest chapters. Share his experience as depicted in his hauntingly honest works of art. Free with Copeland Pass.
