Victorian Easter Greeting Card with Ornate Cross and Morning Glories

The gleaming cross at the center of this card stands absolutely festooned with morning glories spiraling up its shaft and bursting into pink and white blooms at every structural joint, turning a symbol of crucifixion into what is essentially a floral arrangement with a cross-shaped armature. Someone in the Victorian era clearly looked at an ornamental cross complete with a red gemstone and thought morning glories were exactly what it needed — aggressively so. The whole thing sits on a decorative gold base like a trophy celebrating the moment Christianity and a garden catalog had an uncomfortably intimate merger. And lest you miss the emotional assignment, the card closes with 'EASTER JOYS BE THINE' in festive red script — because if you wanted to convey resurrection, obviously aggressive floral colonization is the move.