In 1843, Henry Cole, the V&A’s founding director, sent the world’s first Christmas card. The Museum holds in its collections a large number of Christmas-related items, including cards, toys, books, church carvings, stained glass and decorations. The Museum also regularly commissions Christmas trees from well-known designers.
Annunciation to the Shepherds
The design for this roundel is very similar to that of a manuscript, dated about 1325 to 1335 that is now in The Hague, in the Netherlands. The manuscript is by an unknown artist who was making illustrations for a Flemish history of the world entitled 'Spieghel historiael'.
'The Adoration of the Magi' Panel by Augustin Henckel, 1500-20
This carved, painted and gilded limewood panel shows the scene at Bethlehem when the three gift-bearing kings (magi) arrived to see the infant Jesus Christ. You can listen to a description of the panel and hear excerpts about the story of the Adoration of the Magi from the Gospel of St Matthew.
The First Miracle of St. Nicholas
This stained glass panel is from a series depicting scenes from the life of St Nicholas. The donor was Nicolaas Ruterius, Bishop of Arras 1501-9, who was previously a priest in Louvain. The panels were originally installed in the Great Cloister of the Charterhouse of Louvain.
Study Room Resource: Christmas
This section describes how pupils can use the Christmas card collection to separate the strands of these traditions. The activity suggested in the Teachers' notes is partly a historical one, in which pupils have to examine sources for evidence, and partly a design exercise.
Pantomime began as a type of traveling Italian street theatre known as Commedia dell'arte which came to Britain in the 16th century. Over the centuries it has developed into a festive entertainment that is still beloved by modern audiences. Discover more about the history of pantomime and it’s numerous well-loved stories and characters.