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1920s
What cards lacked in color—in those days, color was hand-applied rather than printed—they made up for in formality.
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1930s
A mother’s place was in the kitchen, baking with her little one, in this Mother’s Day greeting.
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1930s
Mother’s Day wishes came with a spot of hot tea and some pretty flowers.
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1940s
No grande mocha latte for the mom receiving this coffeepot card, which pictured a few of the roles society expected of her in those days.
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1940s
A pin cushion, a thimble and other familiar icons of the sewing basket conveyed best wishes for mom.
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1950s
Raccoons, bears and cats with human qualities were common greeting card characters in the 1950s in cards for all occasions, including Mother’s Day.
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1950s
A gingham-themed tea party shared love for mom in this decade.
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1960s
An aproned June Cleaver was stylin’ in her TV kitchen, and so was this card.
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1960s
Who taught you how to behave? “Nobody!” says the inside of this rebellious Mother’s Day card. “But I gotta give you credit, Mom. You tried like #($&(”
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1960s
Remember that prim and proper 1920s mom? She burst out of her shell in the 1960s!
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1970s
Moms from any era can relate to this card acknowledging that household chores rarely take a day—even Mother’s Day—off.
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1970s
Office scenes began to appear in 1970s Mother’s Day cards as more women, including women with children, began working outside the home.
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1980s
The Mahogany card line debuted in the 1980s, and with it many more choices recognizing African-American moms for Mother’s Day and all occasions.
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1990s
“Happy Mother’s Day to Mom, the original seat belt,” says this card for Moms from every decade who know this move.
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1990s
“That way you can’t see what we did to the kitchen,” says the message inside this card.
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1990s
Mother’s Day isn’t always happy for those who have suffered a loss or are going through difficult days. Some cards started to acknowledge tough times with gentle thoughts and caring.
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1990s
It really does take a village, and this card recognized women in a community of caring.
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2000s
Moms-to-be could now receive cards for their very first Mother’s Day.
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2000s
No baking or sewing images to honor the fashionable 21st century mom!
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2010s
It looks like a regular card, but hold this one up to a webcam and watch it come to life through augmented reality technology. A 2010 feature that surely would amaze the mother of 100 years ago!
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2010s
Mom isn’t perfect these days. Actually, she never was—we’re just willing to laugh about the challenges in the new millennium.