Jenny Nystrom was a Swedish artist born in 1854. She was known as the woman who created the Scandinavian image of Christmas, with her numerous Scandinavian Christmas cards and magazine covers. She gave Sweden the festive image of, Christmas gifts and the Christmas tree.
Jenny linked the Swedish version of Santa Claus to the gnomes of Scandinavian folklore. Many of her Christmas paintings, featured the Scandinavian gnomes and Santa Claus in his original green coat. Children also featured heavily as a subject of her beautiful and fun Christmas painted scenes.
These antique Christmas cards also reflect the wintery scenes of Scandinavia with lots of deep snow!
The Danish for merry Christmas is “glædelig jul“, whereas in Swedish and Norwegian it is “God Jul“.
As well as Scandinavian Christmas cards, I love Scandinavian Christmas decorations, there is a great round-up of Scandinavian Christmas crafts on Pillarboxblue.
To download the antique Scandinavian Christmas cards just click on the highlighted title and a pdf will download to your computer immediately.
The PDF downloaded vintage Scandinavian Christmas cards will be of a higher resolution than the images below.
The Vintage Scandinavian Christmas Cards
1. Danish Christmas Elves 1913
This antique Christmas card was held at the Norwegian National Library. However, the greeting on the card “Glædelig Jul!” is the Danish for Merry Christmas.
The Norwegian is God Jul. So I presume that this was a Christmas card sent from someone in Denmark to someone in Norway. The Christmas elves on the front look very Scandinavian and maybe that’s a basket of “Danish” pastries they are carrying!
2. Danish Boy Carrying Church – 1910
Another Christmas card with the Danish seasonal greeting “Glædelig Jul!”, which translates as Merry Christmas. This time it is of a Danish boy holding a model of a Scandinavian Church.
3. Danish Children With Umbrella Card
This is a lovely vintage Scandinavian Christmas card by the artist Jenny Nystrom. Painted somewhere in the early 1890s.
4. Children Feeding Birds – 1920
This is a lovely winter scene, showing two children feeding the birds.
5. Santa Feeding A Goat
Not sure of the date of this Jenny Nystrom card. It shows Santa feeding a goat. Interestingly Santa is wearing a green coat and not red. Santa always used to wear green until the advertising executives of Coca Cola gave him a red makeover.
6. Children Dancing Around the Christmas Tree
What a delightfully happy festive scene. Excited children dancing around the Christmas tree, painted in 1896. Note the flags on the Christmas tree, it is a tradition to decorate the tree with flags in Scandinavian countries.
7. Children Spying on The Robins
Another delightful scene of children with birds, this time they are spying on them! Including the Christmas card classic bird the robin. The way the card is painted it looks like a snow globe.
8. Original Green Santa
Another Scandinavian vintage Christmas card with a painting of Santa showing him in his original green coat. Before the Coca-Cola update to a red coat in the 1930s!
9. Happy New Year Card -1914
This is a cheeky Christmas card, showing a boy in traditional dress. He’s armed and dangerous ready for a serious snowball fight.
It is also a rare Jenny Nystrom card with the greeting written in English. Rather than one of the usual Scandinavian languages on her antique Christmas cards. This card was painted in 1914.
10. Gnome With Wheel Barrow
This Christmas card features a gnome hard at work. Scandinavian gnomes are one of the most familiar creatures of Scandinavian folklore. They are called “nisse” in Danish and Norwegian, and “tomte” in Swedish.
Nisse is typically associated with winter and Christmas. They are generally are short, with a long white beard and wearing a conical or knit cap in red or some other bright color. They often have an appearance somewhat similar to that of a garden gnome.
Scandinavian gnomes have been a very popular theme for Christmas crafts and decorations over the last couple of years, and not just in Scandinavia.
11. Christmas Angel An Cherubs
A lovely card with a more religious feel as it features an angel and cherubs. This card is dated from 1913.
12. Snowman
This is a jolly Scandinavian card with a jolly snowman on the front. The Danish for snowman is “snemand“, Swedish “snögubbe“. Whereas the Norwegian is very similar to English, “snømann“
I think these lovely vintage Scandinavian Christmas cards would make a fabulous display at Christmas. You could print and frame them.
However, I think they would make a gorgeous festive garland, strung up like bunting. Or you could easily get these images printed onto your own Christmas cards to send to your friends and relatives.
Gnomes are a popular subject in these Christmas cards, you can find more vintage illustrations of Scandinavian gnomes here.
If you like this post you may also like the free vintage maps of Northern Europe and maps of Norway to download.
These Christmas cards would be great to use in the making of Christmas ornaments like these upcycled tin can ornaments.
thank you – lovely images – I’m putting together my January journal
Pam
Thank you, I’m glad you can find use for them.
Such a nostalgic collection ! I remember seeing some similar cards when we were little kids.
Thank you for sharing with us at Meraki Link Party.
Much love
Naush
Thank you, glad you enjoyed them.
I’m a second generation American Dane, and I have many cards from my grandparents. These were always a favorite when i was a child, and I have added some of these to my collection. Thanks for the downloads, Sandi
Thank you, I bet you have a lovely collection. My husband is Norwegian but unfortunately hasn’t kept any Christmas cards.
These are beautiful. Thanks for sharing. #HomeMattersParty
You’re welcome, thank you, glad you enjoyed them.
Such a wonderful collection! I’m glad I found these at our #HomeMattersParty!
We look forward to seeing you again next week 🙂
Thank you so much, they are a bit of festive fun.
HI ! I also found these images on the Nasjonalbiblioteket / National Library of Norway pages . It was nice to read your explanations and the comments .
I am a bit confused about the languages that Jenny Nystrøm used .” Godt Nytaar” is Norwegian or Danish ?
Thank you. The language is Danish which is a bit confusing as the images are from the National Library of Norway.
Hi Claire,
I’ve enjoyed your vintage cards very much. The little boy on the Happy New Year – 1914, is actually a young Sammi (or Sami) – often referred to as Laplanders. The term “Laplander” is offense to the Sami
people. As a reindeer raiser in CO I keep my eye out for Sami items, to share when I do farm tours.
Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful items! Ethel
Thank you, Ethel. That’s very interesting to know about the Sami. I once watched some Norwegian slow TV which was just 2 Sami walking with their reindeers by torch light through the snow in real time, I was mesmerised.
These are wonderful! Thanks for sharing at TFT!
Thank you so much!
Thanks for sharing such beautiful cards I hope you find time to come see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com
Thank you 😊
Love these! So nice of you to share these with us and I think I know just what I’m going to do with them 🙂
Thank you, I do think they are lovely.
These are really beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, you’re welcome.
Aren’t these the cutest thing? I love the one with the little boy throwing snowballs – he looks so cheeky! Thanks for sharing. 😉
I like that one too, thank you.