Murderous frogs, children boiled in teapots and a mouse riding a lobster
are generally not images seen today on Christmas cards. But in Victorian times
it was all par for the course. BBC News takes a look at some of the more unusual
cards of Christmas past.
凶残的青蛙、煮在茶壶中的孩子以及骑在龙虾上的老鼠，这些图片在当今的圣诞卡片上很少见。但在维多利亚时代，这些图片十分常见。BBC新闻挑选了过去一些不寻常的圣诞卡片为大家呈现。
The first Christmas card was commercially produced by Sir Henry Cole in
1843 but it was not until the 1870s that sending cards was affordable for almost
everyone. It was usual in the 19th Century for friends and relations to exchange
Christmas cards at Christmas time. They would tell their wishes for the coming
year.
1843年，亨利科尔爵士发行了第一张零售圣诞卡片，但直到19世纪70年代圣诞卡片才成为人人都买得起的物件。19世纪时，朋友或情人之间在圣诞节交换卡片十分常见。卡片上，人们会写上自己的新年愿望。
The ever-popular traditional Christmas scene of a monkey painting a
portrait of a dog while another monkey lurks menacingly in the background.
这幅画在当时的圣诞节十分受欢迎：一只猴子在给狗做画像，另一只猴子虎视眈眈地藏在画的背景中。
Why the long face? A glum-looking horse wishes the recipient a "jovial
Christmas" while a seemingly tearful kitten proclaims: "Dear friend! Accept my
best wishes for the season!"
为什么脸拉得这么长?一匹闷闷不乐的马祝福收到卡片的人可以度过一个“开心的圣诞节”，而一只似乎眼泪汪汪的猫咪则说：“亲爱的朋友!接受我最好的圣诞祝福吧!
With sadness in their eyes... these faces from Victorian Christmas cards
run the gamut of emotions from resigned to desolate.
眼中满含悲伤……这些维多利亚时期圣诞卡片上的形象情感丰富，有逆来顺受的表情、凄凉的表情等。
A winged toddler torments a glum snowman, a wild-eyed Santa cavorts with
strange men-children and a young toff threatens a smaller boy with a whip.
一个长着翅膀的孩童在折磨一个忧郁的雪人，一位目光狂野的圣诞老人和一帮奇怪的小男孩欢呼雀跃，一位年轻的花花公子拿着鞭子在威胁一个小男孩。
As Stephanie Boydell, curator at Manchester Metropolitan University
explains, the cards were "cheap and cheerful, leading to a real fad" of sending
greetings in such a way.
曼彻斯特城市大学主任斯蒂芬妮·波依戴尔解释说：“当时的圣诞卡片便宜又令人愉悦，互赠卡片相互问候在那时是一种风尚。”
So why were such odd things depicted?"They're only odd to our eyes," Ms
Boydell says."The Victorians had a different idea to what Christmas was about -
not particularly Christian, but a time of good humour. You may find a mouse
riding a lobster strange - I find it funny. Merry Christmas - and don't have
nightmares.
为什么要画这些奇怪的东西呢?“这些东西只是对我们来说奇怪而已，”波依戴尔小姐说。“维多利亚时期，人们对于圣诞节的概念跟如今大不相同——当时圣诞节并不仅仅是个基督教节日，还是一个幽默节日。你会看到骑龙虾的老鼠等奇怪的卡片——我觉得很是滑稽。总之，圣诞快乐，别做噩梦哦”。
发表于 2016-7-10 18:39:06
