I'm a fan of Victorian holiday cards. The Victorians had such a strange (to us) sense of humor.
A Merry Christmas to you. Let me stab you through the heart and steal your money.
😜
@J_Windrow that frog must have been very naughty 😋
@Snipticker #Victorianholidaycards
From what I can find out, the Victorians considered frogs and toads as symbols of evil. Or doom. Or death.
So let's put them on a holiday card, right?
😂
Pliny the Elder didn't understand frogs can overwinter in the mud. He thought the died in winter and were reborn in the spring.
Some researchers see this as a Victorian morality play.
Whatever the reason, these cards are intriguing.
@J_Windrow wow you just blew mind with knowledge! I did not know that! I knew they had a thing for bird symbolism. 🐦
@Snipticker #Victorianholdaycards I’m one of those people that wonders why people do the things they do. I started doing research and there are of course, researchers who specialize in this sort of thing, so I read their material.
Some of those beliefs go back to Greek philosophy. But I think a lot of the symbolism in Victorian card is because of the extremely high death rate, especially among children during that time. It may be trying to laugh at mortality using symbols