Today’s batch of mid-century modern bridal shower cards came to me in a plastic bag, and represented over 20 years in the life of a married couple. Not only were there cards like this from the 1940s, there were all sorts of Christmas and birthday cards from then until into the 1960s!
The bride even scribbled down what gift each attendee brought, just on the inside of the card. That’s one way to keep organized!
Lots like this are one of my favourite aspects of my work: as I go through everything I found, I learn a little bit of someone’s story. That story may never be told again, but bits and pieces of it go out into the world here—and will get woven into someone else’s story! I think it’s neat, and a lovely way to explore history from the point of view of regular people.
Our first piece has some potential as a seamless pattern. The bad part about a lot of greeting cards from any era, but especially this one, is the texture of the paper. Textured paper is very difficult to work with in a photo editor!
Some of these images are great candidates for redrawing or running through Vector Magic, which I will tell you about in another post.
Among the most common themes of midcentury shower cards are, of course, umbrellas. Umbrellas in all colours and sizes. Umbrellas with flowers. Umbrellas with rain! So many umbrellas. By the time I get through showing you these different cards, you will be sick of umbrellas.
The sweet hand-drawn floral border is beyond cute, however, so I can forgive the repetition of umbrella umbrella umbrella.
For Your Shower. Very simple and elegant little pink buds and silvered branches. I think a cute pattern could be made from these flowers, with some creative cut-and-paste work—or redrawing them from scratch.
Another theme that props up for bridal showers is the use of hot air balloons! I have never associated them with weddings in my life, but more than one card artist did in the 1940s-1950s, for some reason.
I love the way this image is composed: the greeting written in ribbon; a rose-filled watering can; a very simple colour scheme of blue, white, yellow, and red. The cascading roses do seem a little dangerous, being pointed like that. Perhaps not a great message, but still an overall pretty picture. And the ‘shower’ part! Note the little rain drops.
This card is cute. I like the gold and pink motif, with a few little blooms for flavour. The bells along the side make a great stand-alone graphic of their own! What elements can you pick out of this card that would make interesting patterns?
More bells, more silver, more roses! The addition of little bluebirds is delightful. I am not a huge fan of this textured paper, though the birds make it worthwhile.
Speaking of birds. Look at that! He’s even wearing shoes, what a polite… duck? Stork? A duck in duckies would be funny. Multiple themes were combined in the above bird’s card, from the umbrellas right on down to literal presents. Perfect shower card mascot, A+!
We cannot have a collection of bridal shower cards without a lovely bouquet. Note the silver bits and the little butterfly. A very sweet, simple graphic for this kind of card!
What I like about this bridal shower card—aside from how simple it was to save—is that it’s a little gift. What you’re seeing here is what you actually get: that’s it, that’s the card. I forget what it said inside, but it really is a present-shaped card, and it’s beyond cute.
Lastly, this bridal shower card would have been attached to a gift. That typeface is iconic for 1950s-related projects.
Which card is your favourite?
Ta-ta for now,

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