The category of "Our Lady" is a plentiful source for unusual and varied cards. There are cards depicting Our Lady of Every Day (ca. 1951), Our Lady of the Highway (ca. 1964), Our Lady of Home Work (Bethune), Our Lady of Humility (ca. 1982), Our Lady of the Millennium (c. 1989), Our Lady of Scouting (ca. 1940) and Our Lady of Space (ca. 1964) to highlight just a few of the more unusual finds. (Pl. 60-67)

Handmade cards are especially charming and definitely unique. Victorian "scrap" applied to die cut lace, pressed flowers, ribbons and ornate calligraphy script all are common elements of home made cards. Some very thrifty nuns would clip pictures of holy cards from religious goods catalogs, apply them to card stock, and with some pinking shears create one-of-a- kind scalloped edged holy cards for their students. (Pl. 68)

Another Victorian innovation is the mechanical folding and stand-up holy cards, some just as fancy and frilly with lace as the finest Victorian valentine cards. When fully opened some of the cards have as many as 5 layers that are mechanically extended with strips of cardstock or ribbon. (Pl. 69)

There are many turn of the century youthful images of Jesus with a cross and or a lamb at his side, foretelling Jesus' destiny later in life. The cross and lamb props look just a little out of context since they were likely not part of the real Christ's formative years. Most of these images would be categorized as l'art St. Sulpice, characterized by the soft curly haired European looking impressions of Jesus. (Pl. 69)

Of the more unusual images, is that of a small child crawling up onto the altar to open the tabernacle. This image is a reminder of the once popular eucharistic theology of Jesus as "prisoner of the tabernacle." Most are in black and white from the 1920's-40's. (Pl. 70)

One particularly rare holy card image profiles a Spanish statue of a scourged Christ. This card can be difficult to gaze upon due to the realistic appearance of the wounds that cover Jesus' body. (Pl. 71) The Spanish are noted also for embroidered cards. (Pl. 72)

There are some very fine cards with the art of the "old" masters like Michelangelo, Angelico, Raphael, Rubins, Bellini, Da Vinci, Titian, Van Dyke and Murillo. Even 21st century Dali's surrealistic crucifixion has been the subject of a holy card. (Pl. 73)

"Hummels", the cherublike figurines of children that are now pricey collector's items, were inspired by the artwork of a gutsy German nun, Sister Mary Innocentia Hummel. Adolf Hitler was not amused by Sr. Hummels drawings of peasant children, who were not perfect enough for his standards. But she made more than 600 such drawings while living at the Seissen Convent in the German Alps, before and during World War II. (Dallas Morning News, 1994) Initially she used the pictures to make beautiful hand-painted postcards, which were sold to raise money for the sisters. Some of those drawings were published as holy cards in the Netherlands in the 40's and 50's. (Pl. 74) M. Spotl, apparently a contemporary artist of Sr. Hummel, painted similar images of children and angels. A series of over 100 of Spotl compositions were reproduced as holy cards in Austria in the 1940's. (Pl. 75)

Miniature cards may be defined as any cards that measure less than an inch and a half long. Miniatures were commonly published of the standard "Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the saints" varieties in the 1920's through 1960's. A complete series of 100 cards of saints images were produced in the Netherlands, ca. 1950. (Pl. 76) Krause, Gromer & Co. of Germany still produces miniature cards in the l'art St. Sulpice style. (Pl. 77)

Who has not played the children's card game, Authors? The Evangelical Publishing Co. of Chicago, Illinois in 1895 copyrighted an author's type game consisting of 14 different authors of the Bible including Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Daniel, Christ, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James, and Peter. There are four black and white playing cards with a portrait and accompanying scripture quotes for each author. (Pl. 78)

Religious images are represented well in postcards that became very popular at the turn of the century. One series of Raphael Tuck cards featured the 10 commandments. Another popular series from 1910 depicted new testament characters in the live passion play staged once a decade in Oberammergau, Germany. (Pl. 79, 80) The character of Jesus in the 1910 show was portrayed by the town potter, Anton Lang. The author of this web book has a signed card picturing Anton as Jesus. Family genealogists believe Anton was related to the Lang (Long) family line on the author's mother's side of the family.

The image of Jesus, titled "Head of Christ" by Warner Sallman is probably the single most common image ever produced of Jesus. Little is unusual and rare about the many prints and cards depicting of the "Head of Christ" first published by Warner Press in 1941. However, one reproduction was incorporated into a unique "Bedtime Prayer Reminder" card featuring a glow in the dark cross. If mounted on a bedroom wall it would absorb enough light to glow for a time well after the light was turned off and thus would be a reminder to pray before falling asleep. (Pl. 81)

Over the years publishers have attempted to create three dimensional images. Mechanical cards that fold out in several levels created a multi-dimensional look. (Pl. ?) Stereo cards were popular in the Victorian Era. Series of 24 cards of the life and passion of Jesus are commonly found among the antique stereo cards. These cards required a stereoscope viewer consisting of a rack and handle, a slide and a pair of screened lens prisms. (Pl. 82) Japanese printers mastered a 3-D process in the 1960's that required no special viewer. (Pl. 83)

Yet another moern variation on the 3-D theme is holographic cards. A series was published in 1993 by The Illustrated Word of San Marcos, California. These 10 trading cards illuminated by John Webster cast a rainbow like reflection as you gaze at them. These cards highlight Old and New Testament scripture events, with some appropriate commentary appealing to children. (Pl. 84)