These fascinating greeting cards dating as far back as the 19th century once illustrated an idyllic view of Christmas in Britain - but would now surely be slammed as politically incorrect today.
The cards - believed to have been lost in a fire until they were unearthed from a house eight years ago - appear to evoke Christmas spirit by offering a message of peace and goodwill to all men and women.
But on closer inspection they may now be seen as offensive by depicting outdated views on race, gender, animal welfare and disabilities.
The cards, which span a period between 1897 to the late 1930s, were designed by artists to be sent out on behalf of Manchester-based charity The Crippled Children's Society, now known as Disabled Living.
But each greeting now has a reason to offend if it was available in shops.
One card from 1938 shows a golly doll - now seen as a symbol of racial stereotyping - sitting on a train while a dad also falls victim to a gender stereotype as his suit depicts him as the traditional breadwinner.
Those concerned about animal welfare would be appalled by another card - it shows Santa Claus with a noose around the neck of a poor turkey.
Another card seems to be an innocent depiction of Christmas with children playing musical instruments as they make their way to table.
But the women in the picture are dressed as house servants and their job seems to be to perform the cooking duties and to wait on the men.
Two other cards feature Union Jacks - and that may not go down well today while another shows two soldiers carrying guns on their shoulders which would not be well received today.
It was Christmas 1904 and the gas-lit basement of Manchester Art Gallery was a hive of industry, the Manchester Evening News reports.
The cellar was being used as a packing depot for hundreds of hampers to be distributed to disabled children.
Those grafting to fill the baskets worked in the spirit of Charles Dickens’ famous festive tale, ‘A Christmas Carol’.
A booklet published in 1947 to mark the 50th anniversary of The Crippled Children’s Help Society described the scene, adding: “That immortal picture of the Christmas dinner at the home of Bob Cratchit must surely have been the inspiration of those helpers of 1904.”
In the hampers were ‘large quantities of plum puddings, meat pies, cakes, packages of tea, apples, sweets, well-chosen substantial toys and Christmas crackers’.
In each there was also a Christmas card to the child.
Now a chance discovery means a collection of those vintage cards issued by the charity, from 1897 to the late 1930s, will be put on display at Manchester Central Library - for one day only.
The exhibition marks the 120th year of the organisation, which is now called Disabled Living. It is one of Manchester’s oldest charities.
Chief executive Debra Evans said: “It really is a wonderful story. In 2009 we had a fire at our property, Redbank House in Cheetham, and we lost all of our archives. Then the son of a lady who worked for us in the 1960s contacted us.
"His mother had passed away and as he was clearing the house he had come across boxes which contained a scrapbook of press cuttings, and Christmas cards the charity had issued for each year from 1897 to 1939.”
"The cards were in a crumbling hard-back portfolio.
“We are displaying the cards this Christmas via a slideshow and will create a permanent exhibition at Redbank House next year.
"Members of the public will be able to see it as the building is often rented out by us to other organisations for training and meeting rooms.”
The charity dates back to 1892 when a group of ‘practical sentimentalists’ launched a group called ‘Band of Kindness’, to encourage children to be kind to animals.
The idea was that learning to be kind to the pets that were dependent on them meant they would become ‘considerate good citizens’.
It soon expanded to become ‘Band of Kindness and Children’s Help Society’, then The Crippled Children’s Help Society, and in 1985 Disabled Living Services, and finally in 1992 Disabled Living.
The cards were designed by local artists in the city and region to be sent out on behalf of the charity.
Each card is of its time, charting the first half of the 20th century. There are hints of classic arts and crafts style borders, flowing into Art Nouveau lines all the way through to the vintage bright bold colours of traditional Santas.
The first card designed by a recognised artist is a gorgeous 1907 print of Santa by Garth Jones (1872-1955).
He was a Mancunian illustrator and art teacher, notable for his designs in fairy tale and folklore volumes. He studied at what would become the Royal College of Art in London and later in Paris.
Edward Gosling was an artist who designed a number of the charity’s Christmas cards back in 1910 when he was just 15, and again in 1920.
Not many of the artists are fully credited on the cards but the dedication to Gosling is fascinating.
On his winter bird and holly design, it reads: “Drawn by a crippled boy, Edward Gosling, aged 15 (of Manchester), boy without arms, drawn with his toes.”
It is likely that, due to his age, he was a member of the society or received its services. The charity not only supported children and young people living with disability but encouraged crafts, arts and skills.
The change in his style from 1910 and 1920 is striking. 1910 sees a mono-coloured traditional design, almost Victorian in its simplicity. The 1920 item sees bold and bright colours, vitality and humour.
The last known Christmas card sent out by the charity was in 1939 but as part of its 120 years celebrations this year, it launched a card competition.
Children with disabilities were invited to design a card that would be send out by the charity this year. The winner was Isabelle Peacock, aged 14, who took part in one of the charity’s events.