1974 Betsey Clark #2, Musicians
1974 Hallmark Keepsake Ornament
QX1081
This 1974 Hallmark Christmas Ornament is second in the "Betsey Clark" series, Hallmark's first ornament series, which started in 1973.
The frosted glass ball is shimmering silver-white with a silver cap and plastic, printed sleeve. The top border of holly, has reddish-pink berries and pink ribbon bows interspersed in the garland. The bottom reads: "CHRISTMAS 1974" and "Betsey Clark." A printed plastic wrapper features six little strawberry-blonde girls in pastel-colored prairie dresses and patched, white aprons with a smaller boy, wearing brown, tattered pants and a white/brown plaid shirt. One of the girls is holding a flowering twig, as a conductor's baton, with a wooden music stand next to her, and two birds singing at her feet. Another girl uses a smaller, bare twig to conduct the singing of the boy and another girl. The other girl is seated, playing a cello, with a bird friend on the ground, holding up sheet music for her to see. The last pair of girls is singing, with one playing a banjo, while the other holds sheet music, as she sings over her shoulder. Faint blue music notes hang randomly in the air around them, making it feel like you can almost hear their sweet melody.
Betsey Clark (1915–1987), the American artist famous for her old-fashioned drawings of nature and waif-like children and nature, started working for Hallmark in 1962, and her greeting card illustrations were so beloved, Hallmark made this their first series of Keepsake Ornaments using her cottage-core art, which was then widely licensed and is now highly collectible. This celebrated Betsey Clark series began in 1973.
Disclaimer: As with many older glass ball ornaments, it may have developed "age spots," which is normal with older ornaments.
Material: Glass, plastic, and metal
Artist: Betsey Clark
Size: 3.962" H x 3.275" D
