Celebrations: Victorian and Edwardian Greeting Cards

贺卡把人们联系在一起。在2019冠状病毒病爆发后，社区建设方面的问候产生了额外的共鸣：我们经历了无法进行身体互动的封锁，许多里程碑都是在远距离上完成的，甚至是在近邻之间。曼彻斯特城市大学（MMU）特别收藏博物馆和档案馆（SCM）拥有无与伦比的资源，超过32,500张维多利亚和爱德华时代的贺卡：塞登收藏。这批未经充分研究的藏品是大约1840年至大约1920年的。大多数来自19世纪80年代和90年代，那是贺卡的“黄金时代”。大多数是圣诞卡，但也有庆祝其他生活事件的，包括复活节、情人节、新年、生日、奖励和纪念/同情。现在是展示这个系列的好时机：贺卡正在发生变化。电子贺卡的普及意味着许多卡片永远不会以实物形式出现。然而，电子贺卡的交换量，加上个性化的按需印刷卡片，以及贺卡制作工艺的激增，表明贺卡已经进入了一个“新的黄金时代”。RKE项目的核心是专门为员工提供资金，让他们使用MMU SCM的大型Versascan 3650平板扫描仪对精选的Seddon Collection卡片进行数字化。该扫描仪是在2020年通过收集能力（CapCo）应用程序（AH/V011987/1）购买的。该项目的第一阶段是扫描和数字化塞登收藏中选定的贺卡记录，实现远程、虚拟访问。这些扫描是第二阶段的核心：一个试点合作，旨在让公众参与到基于收藏的研究中来。使用第一阶段数字化的卡片图像，我们将与选定的合作伙伴一起探索这些贺卡的当代共鸣。两项合作主要产出计划：与这些合作伙伴共同策划设计并交付的在线展览；还有一个更直观的卡片分类系统，这些卡片是由研讨会参与者的反馈形成的。与较小的产出相结合，这些将提高该档案收藏的形象，并使其持续的社区信息和希望能够为更广泛的受众所接受。最初的CapCo申请是由SCM/图书馆工作人员作为调查员提交的。这一后续应用由学者作为主要研究人员。雷切尔·迪金森博士（PI）和艾玛·利金斯博士（CoI）是英系的读者，他们专门研究十九世纪的历史，并通过策划展览、组织节日、发表公开演讲和领导研讨会，取得了明显的参与记录。项目的家仍然在SCM中，SCM专业人员的技能和专业知识起着至关重要的作用，特别是馆长Stephanie Boydell （CoI）。之所以选择合作伙伴，是因为他们的专业知识、见解和渠道。死亡咖啡馆将从悲伤和纪念老年人的角度关注卡片。伊丽莎白盖斯凯尔之家将21世纪与维多利亚时期联系起来，重点关注小学儿童。内部合作伙伴曼彻斯特诗歌图书馆补充了卡片诗歌方面的专业知识，并为年轻作家提供了一个网络，内部的RISE项目增加了当代年轻人的视角，并通过学生实习提供与工作相关的经验。

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.