Today we have a big change in the appearance of Father Christmas, for he has a red coat. This is often stated to have been given to him by Coca-Cola in 1931 to tie him to their official colour. However, this is not true - though it is, falsely, supported by the fact that in the Victorian era he did not have a standard colour for his robe, and he was seen in all manner of hues, from the greens and browns and blacks (which had been his attire when he was the more religious, Sainted Nicholas), up to brighter hues like yellows and blues, but not in red. However in 1881, he was depicted in red for the first time, by Thomas Nast.
Now this card is not long after that, and we know that because this strange looking typewriter, made by The Simplex Typewriter Company of New York, was once the marvel of the modern age. However, as happens still, today, new tech gets out of date very quickly, and in an attempt to clear the unsold, left in stock, someone has a brainwave, and it is advertised as a good way to get children used to a slightly older and simpler system before they get their own latest model. This sort of typewriter started to be seen as outdated around the late 1890s, and so here it is, being offered as "The best gift for boys and girls....They fit in with the educational idea and hold the child`s interest as any toy" (reverse) - and - "The most instructive and useful gift to give any child, boy or girl" (front).
As they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
However there is a funny twist to this tale, as originally when this machine was retailed, it was written that :"This machine is not to be placed in the category with other so-called Typewriters, selling for $1.00 and thereabouts, which are utterly useless for any purpose except that of a toy."
Now there are several versions of this card, and many different wordings on the paper that protrudes downwards as extra advertising space. There are also many different addresses, so the card seems to have been either supplied blank for the retailer to insert their own particulars, or printed to order. As there are several cards which appear to be typewritten I suspect that there were also ones which were supplied entirely blank in that area, maybe for a lower price.
The model of the typewriter that he holds in his hands also changes, ours is more of a black and white line drawing, but there are other cards which show a slightly different model in colour - like the one(s) which you can see below in Santa`s sack. They all appear to be slanted at children, and one even says on the reverse "teaches children reading, writing, and spelling".