Handmade Victorian Revival Mixed Media Souvenir of First Communion - Boxed Presentation Card for a Girl

Here's my version of an Antique Victorian boxed Souvenir of First Communion card.  Featuring a genuine handmade Victorian folded paper doll of a Communiante (image of a young girl (carrying rosary, bible/catechism/candle) on her special day), the face of the girl is etched while the dress/accessories are tissue paper and true Victorian-era die cuts.  Rescued from a card that had completely fallen apart, I decided to create a better, more permanent place for the parts.

The gift card has a front of pink cardstock with a reinforced white backboard - this can be personalized with the gift givers or recipient's name. The front of the card is also decorated with genuine Victorian paper lace, silver Dresden images of the Dove of Peace, a Swallow and some foliage. To complete the piece, I added two Victorian die cuts of pink roses.

The presentation box is my best interpretation of how this card would have been gifted. The front image as well as the inside of the lid image is a direct copy (albeit in English) of a French First Communion presentation card. The interior of the box is lightly padded and covered in a paper doily. The inside lip of the box is also covered in paper doily edging.

The box measures 5-3/8" x 3-3/4". The card measures 3-11/16" x 5-1/4".

Each individual piece of the ornament was cut by hand, placed carefully and hand glued. The piece is as white as possible for presentation. With all things handmade, the piece took 3 days for the glue to dry over time rather than quickly. With care, this presentation card should last the same amount of time as the First Communion cards of long ago - about 100 years! The young lady who receives this card will be receiving a treasure to be cherished. Gift as is or add a small envelope on the inside to present $$$$ (the true nature of the card in the old days). The choice is yours.

Please note - this is not a NEW NEW store bought item which means it DOES show the patina of age in its parts. This is a unique item made with care by hand and, as such, NOT machine made and not turned off an assembly line. The handmade look of the piece is what makes this gift so special! It's ONE OF A KIND!

HISTORY: In France, as a souvenir of First Communion, a young girl, or a boy, would be presented with a card and envelope filled with a sum of money. The gifted cards could be as simple s a single sheet of paper in an envelope (usually from a member of the lower class) to something more elaborate and unique - a ONE OF A KIND handmade piece presented in a box (a gift from a member of the upper class). Many of these presentation pieces never made it to see the 2000s but over the course of about 20 years, I have collected a number of them to inspire me in the recreation of this most exquisite way of presenting a gift to a young lady upon First Communion.