I love this holiday card illustration, with its shades of purple — perhaps byzantium and fandango would be more accurate — and green. (Take your choice on what shades of green are in there. Perhaps olive drab and pistachio?)
The card was issued by Hawthorne-Sommerfield, probably in the 1950s or 1960s. There is evidence that the company was around from at least the 1930s through 1970s. Sadly, one of the few lasting online documents regarding its history is a 1959 legal matter in Kings County (Brooklyn), New York.
That case involved Hawthorne-Sommerfield, Inc., as the plaintiff, seeking an injunction "restraining the defendants from picketing in front of its premises and misrepresenting and creating the impression that a labor dispute exists between the parties." The request for injunction was denied.
Here's the company logo from the back of today's card. It's too bad we'll almost certainly never be able to discover the identity of the artist who created this beautiful holiday card.
Thank you for this history and sample. I have a beautiful card from 1976 which I cherish.
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