With their vibrant plumage offering a heartening pop of color amid frosty snowscapes, cardinals are a celebrated species of bird closely associated with the holiday season. This year, we’re delighted to present a selection of new and beloved designs inspired by cardinals in The Met collection and beyond.
Unique Holiday Gifts Inspired by The Met
In 1888, the Virginia-based tobacco company Allen & Ginter issued a promotional series of trade cards depicting avian species found throughout the United States. Trade cards were popular collectible ephemera in the 19th century, and many examples produced by various enterprises—primarily in the cigarette, coffee, and chewing-gum businesses—can be found in the Museum’s collection. Cardinal Grosbeak, a commercial color lithograph from Allen & Ginter’s 50-piece series titled Birds of America, has inspired several of The Met Store’s designs.
Perfect for gifting (or keeping), our new apron and tea towel, available individually and as a set, evoke Cardinal Grosbeak as a festive pattern.
Also new to this year’s holiday lineup is our dazzling Cardinal Crystal Ornament, which reimagines Cardinal Grosbeak with fabulous flair. Sparkling with hand-applied crystals, it’s one of three new crystal bird ornaments introduced this season.
The Cardinal Grosbeak Handmade Glass Ornament pays homage to the original trade card as a classic addition to your holiday decor. Give it pride of place on your tree, or welcome the whole flock with our Met Birds Handmade Glass Ornament Set.
The Cardinal Grosbeak Spinning Ornament is the perfect token of your visit to The Met. Our cardinal is perched on a rotating bough of blossoms in honor of the original trade card, enveloped by a metal ring etched with, “The Metropolitan Museum of Art” and “New York.”
Our best-selling brooch brings to life the Common Cardinal Grosbeak (Cardinalis cardinalis), also known as the Northern Cardinal, depicted in a 19th-century lithograph by John T. Bowen (American, ca. 1801–1856?) after the famous naturalist John James Audubon (American, b. Haiti, 1785–1851).
Around 1820, Audubon made it his mission to paint every bird in North America. He subsequently created 435 preparatory watercolors for what would become The Birds of America, a lavish book of copperplate etchings, engravings, and aquatints, originally printed between 1827 and 1838. He then published 500 smaller hand-colored lithographs based on his designs between 1840 and 1844. Our adornment pays tribute to his careful study of and enduring fascination with birds.
Send your loved ones warm wishes for the holiday season with a charming illustration of cardinals gathered around a festive basket of berries. Produced in cooperation with American Artists Group, our holiday cards reproduce Three Birds in a Berry Basket (1982) by Luther Travis (American, 1928–2019).
Art-Inspired Holiday Gifts
Shop more bird-themed designs at The Met Fifth Avenue and online. Plus, browse our Holiday Preview Online Catalog for more holiday gift ideas.
