Greeting Card Collection
name: label: Creator
content: Conn, Nat
label: Creator
content: Tolman, Sarah
label: Creator
content: Tolman, Ruel P. (Ruel Pardee), 1878-1954
label: Former owner
content: National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Graphic Arts
topic: label: Topic
content: Christmas
label: Topic
content: Candles
label: Topic
content: Deer
label: Topic
content: Angels
label: Topic
content: Birds -- Pictorial works
label: Topic
content: Bells
label: Topic
content: Greeting cards
label: Topic
content: Holidays
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
creator: label: Creator
content: Conn, Nat
label: Creator
content: Tolman, Sarah
label: Creator
content: Tolman, Ruel P. (Ruel Pardee), 1878-1954
setName: label: See more items in
content: Greeting Card Collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: 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.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 2 Cubic feet (12 boxes)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1920-1980
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: 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.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0579
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Christmas cards
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is divided into one series.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processed by Kelly Gaberlavage and Alison Oswald, 2003.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Christmas cards
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: 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.