I hold my hands up, this is mere trickery! Frivolous fakery for your amusement! Merry Christmas, dea

I hold my hands up, this is mere trickery! Frivolous fakery for your amusement! Merry Christmas, dear readers, for all those who celebrate it.

In the Edwardian era creative card manufacturers would produce prettily decorated pieces such as this, with a space in which to fit a photograph of your recipient’s favourite actress or singer, a marvellously inventive early way to customise the card for a charming personal touch. I thought you, esteemed followers, would appreciate a little festive good will in the form of not a favoured star of the stage, but rather my favourite Victorian porn stars added to the cut-out window. ‘Stardom’ may be a little exaggeration, anonymity required for their own security, but they’re certainly now one of the better-known titilating photoshoots of the time, as well as being the reason I began this entire collection.