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Birthday Card

1957 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Forget-Me-Not (publisher)
Place of origin
London (printed)

Jennifer Leaver has kept every single birthday card she ever received and she has given the Museum the first eighteen years worth. Jennifer was born in the mid 1950s and the collection provides a snapshot of the changing designs of cards during this period of change and development in the history of childhood. It is fascinating to observe different trends dependent on the age Jennifer was in each particular year. The cards demonstrate the interests of a girl growing up at this time, from cute and cuddly animals to parties and music.


Object details

Categories
Children & Childhood
Greeting Cards
Object type
Birthday card
Materials and techniques
colour printed card
Brief description
Colour printed card for a one year old, depictinga white kitten with a birthday cake, a Forget-Me-Not card England, given to Jennifer Leaver (née Davies), 1957.
Physical description
Birthday card folded in to four sections, portrait, with a vertical spine. The front on the card depicts an illustration of a white kitten wearing a bib and a party hat sitting by a birthday cake with a candle in it. There is also a printed message on the front of the card. There are printed and hand written messages in the middle of the card and another image of a kitten's head..
Dimensions
  • Width: 11cm
  • When closed and flat height: 13.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • For your / very / FIRST / BIRTHDAY (printed on the front of the card)
  • Today / is your birthday.../ Your very first one.. / Here's hoping / it's filled / With a while lot of FUN (printed in the middle of the card)
  • MANY HAPPY RETURNS JENNIFER, / LOVE / A. BETTY U. CHARLIES & STEPHEN. (Hand written in blue ink in the middle of the card)
  • A Forget-Me-Not CARD / B B 821/2G (printed on the back of the card)
Credit line
Given by Jennifer Leaver
Object history
One of 269 cards donated by Jennifer Leaver (née Davies) that have been given to her on her birthdays from 1-18 from family and friends.
Subject depicted
Birthday
Summary
Jennifer Leaver has kept every single birthday card she ever received and she has given the Museum the first eighteen years worth. Jennifer was born in the mid 1950s and the collection provides a snapshot of the changing designs of cards during this period of change and development in the history of childhood. It is fascinating to observe different trends dependent on the age Jennifer was in each particular year. The cards demonstrate the interests of a girl growing up at this time, from cute and cuddly animals to parties and music.
Collection
Young V&A Collection
Accession number
B.352-2010

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Record createdFebruary 1, 2011
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1177319/birthday-card-forget-me-not/
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