Celebrations: Victorian and Edwardian Greeting Cards

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Greeting cards connect people. In the wake of COVID-19, community-building aspects of greetings have taken on additional resonance: we have been through lockdowns when physical interaction was not possible and many milestones were marked at a distance, even between close neighbours. Manchester Metropolitan University's (MMU) Special Collections Museum and Archives (SCM) holds an unrivalled resource of more than 32,500 Victorian and Edwardian greeting cards: the Seddon Collection. This under-studied collection is from c.1840 to c.1920. Most are from the 1880s and 1890s, the "Golden Age" of the greeting card. The majority are Christmas cards, but other life-events are celebrated, including Easter, Valentines, New Year, Birthday, Reward and Memorial/Sympathy. This is a timely moment to reveal this collection: greeting cards are changing. The popularity of e-cards means many never take physical form. Yet, the volume of e-cards being exchanged coupled with personalised print-on-demand cards and a surge in cardmaking as craft suggest that greeting cards have entered a "new Golden Age". Central to this RKE project is dedicated funding for staff time to use the MMU SCM's large Versascan 3650 flatbed scanner to digitise a selection of the Seddon Collection cards. The scanner was purchased through a Capability for Collections (CapCo) application (AH/V011987/1) in 2020. The first stage of this project is scanning and digitising records of selected greeting cards in the Seddon Collection, enabling remote, virtual access. These scans are at the heart of stage two: a pilot collaboration which seeks to engage the public in collections-based research. Using images of cards digitised in stage one, we will work with select partners to explore contemporary resonances in these greeting cards. Two collaborative main outputs are planned: a co-curated online exhibition designed and delivered with these partners; and a more intuitive cataloguing system for these cards shaped by responses from workshop participants. Combined with smaller outputs, these will raise the profile of this archival collection and make its ongoing message of community and hope accessible to a much wider audience. The original CapCo application was submitted with SCM/library staff as the investigators. This follow-on application has academics as the lead investigators. Dr Rachel Dickinson (PI) and Dr Emma Liggins (CoI) are Readers in the English Department who specialise in the long nineteenth century and have a demonstrable record of engagement through curating exhibitions, organising festivals, delivering public lectures, and leading workshops. The project's home remains in SCM and the skills and expertise of SCM professional staff play a crucial role, particularly that of curator Stephanie Boydell (CoI). The partners were chosen because of expertise, insights and access they bring. Death Café Chorlton will focus on cards from the perspective of grief and memorialisation with older adults. Elizabeth Gaskell House connects the twenty-first century to the Victorian period, focusing on primary-aged children. Internal partner Manchester Poetry Library supplements expertise on cards' verses and offers access to a network of youthful writers, and the internal RISE programme adds the perspective of contemporary young adults and provide work-related experience through student internships.