Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to Greeting Card Collection

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0579
Creators:
Conn, Nat
Tolman, Sarah
Tolman, Ruel P. (Ruel Pardee), 1878-1954
Dates:
1920-1980
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
2 Cubic feet
12 boxes
Repository:
The collection consists of greeting cards, over 95% of them Christmas cards, received from the 1920s-1980s by two Washington, D.C. families, those of Ruel Tolman and Nat Conn.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The collection consists of greeting cards, over 95% of them Christmas cards, received from the 1920s-1980s by two Washington, D.C. families, those of Ruel Tolman and Nat Conn. The Christmas cards are rich in imagery and contain the following subjects: angels, bells, birds, candles, cats, dogs, carolers, carriages, churches, children, deer, family photographs (black and white and color), hearths/fireplaces, holly, houses/barns, hunting dogs, mailboxes, music, packages, ornaments, pine cones, poinsettia, politics, religious scenes (Three Wise Men, Madonna and Child, manager scenes), Santa Claus, ships/boats, snowmen, trees, and wreaths. Other occasions and holidays include anniversary, birthday, Easter, father's day, get well, Jewish holidays (Passover and Hanukah), military, mother's day, thank you's, and valentines day. There are some Christmas letters/messages that were either sent alone or were inserted into greeting cards. Many of the cards are printed with greetings such as "Holiday Greetings," "Happy Holidays," "New Year's Greetings," "Season's Greetings," "Noel," and "Peace". The foreign greeting cards consist of cards sent to the Tolman and Conn families from family and friends residing outside the United States. There are several empty envelopes lined with paper depicting Christmas images and the miscellaneous folder contains parts of greeting cards, many of which are missing photographs. The collection is arranged into two series: Series 1: Christmas and Series 2; Other occasions.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is divided into one series.

Administration

Author
Kelly Gaberlavage and Alison Oswald
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Custodial History
Collection transferred to the Archives Center by the Division of Graphic Arts (now Division of Cultural and Community Life). Ruel P. Tolman was a Curator of Graphic Arts.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Kelly Gaberlavage and Alison Oswald, 2003.

Digital Content

More …

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Greeting Card Collection, 1920-1980, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Christmas Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Candles Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Deer Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Christmas cards Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Angels Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Birds -- Pictorial works Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bells Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Greeting cards Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Holidays Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Graphic Arts Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu