Scope and Contents The Biedermeier cards originated in the mid-18th century in France but soon became popular in German and Austrian bourgeois circles. These cards, which are prints from woodcuts or copperplate etchings, are usually characterized by their inclusion of moveable elements to represent a narrative event: a simple fold-out window discloses a brief romantic poem or a pull-out handle moves part of the image to simulate an action or gesture that relates to the greeting message. In addition, the cards...