Equally revelatory are three Rossetti panels given to Morris as a wedding gift "Dantis Amor, " "The Salutation of Beatrice in Florence" and "The Salutation in the Garden of Eden" reunited for the first time since 1863.

WSJ: Victorian Avant-Garde | Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design | National Gallery of Art | By Barrymore Laurence Scherer

But an e-mail is not the evening news, and perhaps it is time to begin saying our inevitable fond farewell to "Dear, " and to say that farewell before the salutation has already become dearly departed.

CNN: Is 'Dear' dead?

The blogosphere has been inundated with people mocking the new salutation and proposing alternative greetings.

ECONOMIST: How not to sell a state that��s feeling the pinch

On the TV in the corner the station signs off, broadcasting its nightly salutation, the waving Stars and Stripes, our national anthem.

NPR: Natasha Trethewey: If My Mom Could See Us Now

With text messages, the idea of a salutation doesn't even come up.

CNN: Is 'Dear' dead?

The State of the E-Mail Salutation.

FORBES: Leadership Highlights of the Week: Going for the Gold - Forbes

Beyond its Salutation Nation events, the company hosts yoga workshops all over the world, as well as sponsors competitions such as half marathons.

FORBES: Lululemon's Recall Of See-Through Pants Could Be A Big Sales Opportunity

The festival even has its own salutation: Glad midsommar (Happy Midsummer).

BBC: Here comes the sun in Sweden

Eventually people started adding a salutation to appear friendlier and help the tone of their writings.

CNN: Is 'Dear' dead?

But on this afternoon, HBO's since-promoted Richard Plepler and Michael Lombardo took the stage to deliver a different kind of message or, more specifically, salutation: Welcome to HBO's next chapter.

FORBES: Welcome To HBO's Next Chapter