Cards Standard Line
name: label: Collection Collector
content: Norcross, Arthur Dickinson, d. 1968
label: Collection Designer
content: Tuck, Raphael, fl. 1880s
label: Collection Manufacturer
content: Norcross Greeting Card Company (New York (N.Y.))
label: Collection Manufacturer
content: Rust Craft Publishers (Boston, Mass.)
label: Collection Collector
content: Rust, Fred Winslow, 1877?-1949
label: Collection Designer
content: Prang, Louis, fl. 1880-1900
label: Collection Designer
content: Chase, Ernest Dudley, fl. 1920s
label: Collection Collector
content: Rust Craft Greeting Card Company (Dedham (Mass.))
setName: label: See more items in
content: Norcross Greeting Card Collection
label: See more items in
content: Norcross Greeting Card Collection / Series 5: Norcross Company Permanent Files
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1911-1974
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0058, Subseries 5.1
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Subseries 1, Cards, 1911-1974, are arranged alphabetically by occasion or topic.  Listed below are the occasions and topics into which the materials are divided, with the inclusive date range for each. The first group of cards is the standard line and include Anniversary, 1942 1973.  The      	     	
Anniversary category was created in 1942 as an "offshoot" of the Wedding category.  Note that there are no 1943 cards in this group.  Pre-1942 anniversary cards are found in the Wedding category.  There is April Fool's Day, 1932 1964.  Baby, 1946-1973, includes Birth Announcements, Birth Congratulations, Christening, and Baptism cards.  The first two boxes are one letter series; the rest are a different letter series.  

Birthday cards, 1921-1945, are divided into main three parts, reflecting the way the company produced and organized its cards over time.  Prior to 1944, various types of birthday cards are all intermixed.  From roughly 1944 to 1960, the company divided its birthday cards into several sub categories: Female, 1944-1960, General, 1944-1960, Humorous, 1944-1960,  Juvenile, 1944-1960,  Male, 1944-1960, Special, 1944-1960, and Birthday, 1959-1973. The company began to discontinue these sub categories' in 1959 and so the cards are again intermixed that year.

Christmas contains nine sub series, based on the different serial letters used by the company over time.  These include "N" Series, early 1920s-1973; "X" Series, 1927-1965; "A" Series, 1938-1946; "PG" [Personalized Greetings] Series, 1911-1948; Counter Books, 1920-1930;  Service Books, 1926-1967;  "Cello[phane]" Packs, 1947-1959; Solid Packs, 1951-1968; and Boxed Assortments, 1931-1973. Cards have been kept together by serial letter; as a result, if you are looking for a particular year, you may need to look in nine different places.  In addition to conventional Christmas cards, interspersed within this group are some Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Year, Christmas/New Year and Christmas place cards, especially during the 1930s. This category also reflects the variety of ways in which Christmas cards were sold.  Cards were sold individually; in boxed "Solid Packs" containing a set number of the same card (or in the cheaper "Cello Packs," which were cellophane wrapped packages); or in boxed assortments containing several examples of a number of cards.  In addition, customers could have a personalized message (such as their name) pre printed on a "Personalized Greetings" card or they could choose a card they liked from a "Counter Book" or a "Service Book" and custom order their own printed text and sentiment.  Not all cards were available in all these formats, however.

 
Convalescent cards, 1920s-1974 includes Get Well and Convalescent cards, and, through 1944, Sympathy cards.  In 1945, the company formed a separate category for Sympathy.  Similarly, in 1940, the company formed a separate category for Friendship cards.

Other occasions in alphabetical order include Easter, 1920s-1971; Father's Day, 1929-1972; Fourth of July, 1952-1954; and Friendship, 1940-1974. Friendship encompasses Friendship/Thinking of You, 1940-1974.  For pre-1940 Friendship cards, see the "Miscellaneous Occasions" category; in addition, for pre- 1942 period, see Convalescent cards.  

The formal line continues with Gift, 1944-1973, which includes both gift cards and enclosure cards that accompany gifts. Graduation, 1931-1972, includes cards for high school, college, nursing school, elementary school and a wide variety of other graduation and commencement events.

Halloween encompasses the years 1930-1973.  After 1965, Halloween seems to have been included only with the Studio and Informal lines.  Additionally, there are some Halloween cards in the "N" series of Christmas, in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Invitations, 1944-1973, are mostly packaged cards.  For pre-1945 invitations see the "Miscellaneous Occasions" and "Thank you" categories. Followed by invitations are Jewish New Year, 1958-1973,and Hanukkah, 1963-1972. 

Miscellaneous Occasions, 1926-1956, was created to encompass smaller, more specific categories.  Many of the occasions/topics in this category grew large enough to form independent categories later.  Included under this heading are the following: Change of address/phone number, Kitchen, Shower, Tea invitations, Birth announcements, Birth congratulations, Gift enclosures (various and specific), Friendship, Travel, Service Notes, Remembrance, and Thank You.

Mother's Day, 1925-1972. In the 1920s and 1930s, Parent's Day (i.e., cards "To Mother and Father") is also represented. New Year, 1930-1973, encompasses both New Year's greetings and Thank You for Christmas remembrance. Religious include cards for the following religious occasions: Confirmation, Bar Mitzvah, First Holy Communion, Mass Offering, Name Day and Ordination. There are also St. Patrick's Day cards, 1928-1973, found among these materials. Sympathy, 1935-1973.  For pre-1944 Sympathy cards, search "Miscellaneous Occasions" and "Convalescent" categories. 

Thanksgiving, 1926-1973, also includes invitations.  For pre-1959 Thank You cards, see the "Miscellaneous Occasions" category. Thank You, 1954-1973.  Travel, 1945-1973, includes Travel and Bon Voyage cards, 1945-1973.  See "Miscellaneous Occasions" category for pre 1945-Travel cards. Lastly there are Valentine's Day, 1926-1972, and Wedding, 1924-1974. Wedding includes Wedding, Wedding Anniversary (up to the early 1940s; in 1942 a separate category for Anniversary was formed), Engagement, Special Congratulations, Retirement, Ordination, New Home, Welcome Back.

The Informal Line of cards was created in 1963. This line contains the same types of cards as the Standard Line, but with a greater emphasis on "cuteness."  The informal cards are characterized by the frequent use of recurring character types, such as leprechauns, waifs, angels, elves, "cuties" and sprites. These cards are arranged alphabetically by occasion or topic.

In keeping with an industry wide trend, in 1957 Norcross began producing a Studio line, encompassing the same types of cards as both the Standard and Informal lines.  Studio cards are generally humorous and laden with witticisms and sarcasm. These cards are arranged alphabetically by occasion or topic.

Sales Statistic Sample Books, 1948-1962.  In addition to the permanent files mounted on stiff paper pages, the collection also includes a group of binders, probably created by the sales division at Norcross to keep track of sales trends.  The majority of these 49 volumes contain cards that are not tied to a specific occasion, with dates ranging from 1948 through 1962 consistently throughout each binder.  These binders serve well as an overall sampling of Norcross sales from 1948 through 1962.  The volumes are arranged according to type of card, and were filled chronologically according to circulation date.  Included within the volumes are loose pages from another, smaller Norcross binder.  A greeting card has been adhered to the front of these pages, and on the back, sales information and release and drop dates for the particular card have been recorded.