Queen Victoria's Christmas Tree Playing Cards

This design features an image of Queen Victoria and her royal consort Prince Albert stood beside their Christmas tree, which is beautifully decorated with an assortment of wooden ornaments and toys; their children are accompanying them, looking with great delight at the brightly lit tree. It is an elegant demonstration of how Christmas traditions have continued through the decades and centuries. The Christmas tree comes from German culture, where people would bring evergreens into their homes to decorate them during the winter period as a reminder of spring. The tradition really took off in Europe and America when Prince Albert introduced the tree to his new wife, Queen Victoria. This famous sketch of the royal couple together was produced in 1848.