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Early manufacturers such as Raphael Tuck and Sons printed cards with a large variety of charming and ingenious designs, and the price range for these cards was just as wide. Raphael Tuck & Sons first published Christmas cards about 1871. In 1880, Tuck held prize competitions for designs, a common practice of early publishers.

Tuck & Son produced the popular "Royal Academy" series in 1882. In 1893 Queen Victoria granted Tuck and Sons a Royal Warrant and the company began to produced Christmas cards especially for the royal family.

In 1899 Raphael Tuck convinced the British postal service to accept private-issue postcards for regular delivery, leading to greater acceptance by the general public. Tuck and Sons continued to produce cards for the public sale well into the 20th century. The card on the left is a Tuck card.

Livaudais Collection of Raphael Tuck Christmas cards

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