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Birthday Card
1948 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
One of 17 cards donated by Linda Underwood (née Gotts) that were given to her on her 1st birthday from family and friends. Linda turned one in March 1948 and the cards reflect the typography, imagery and graphic styles used for birthday cards in the 1940s.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Colour printed card |
| Brief description | Printed 1st birthday card, England, 1948 |
| Physical description | Colour printed birthday card showing a 'golly' holding a card, a baby pulling a toy duck and a large number '1' decorated with flowers. Inside the card is a printed rhyme and on the back is a written message. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by Linda Underwood |
| Object history | The original golliwog was a central character in a series of books by Bertha and Florence Upton published between 1895 and 1909. Florence, the illustrator of the stories, based the golliwog on a doll she had acquired in the US in the 1880s. The appearance of this doll was influenced by the Blackface performance tradition. From the late 19th century until the 1960s, the golliwog flourished as a toy. Its image featured on toys, games, textiles and ceramics and was also used by food companies. From the 1970s the golliwog’s popularity began to wane as many British people felt that it promoted racial stereotypes. This card is from Uncle Alf, Linda's maternal uncle. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | One of 17 cards donated by Linda Underwood (née Gotts) that were given to her on her 1st birthday from family and friends. Linda turned one in March 1948 and the cards reflect the typography, imagery and graphic styles used for birthday cards in the 1940s. |
| Associated objects | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.583-2016 |
About this object record
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| Record created | March 2, 2017 |
| Record URL |
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