It was the 1930s, in the middle of the depression, and not a happy time for many people. More than a century had passed when the writer Washington Irving published A History of New York in 1809, comically told by the make-believe historian Dietrich Knickerbocker (Washington Irvings pen name). Published in a bilingual format, France-Amrique Magazine is intended for anyone interested in French culture and Franco-American friendship. His image of Santa Clauswas the inspiration for the Coca Cola companys modern Santa Claus. His image, which included elements from the 1823 poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" and the cartoonist's German . And in the left corner he is shown climbing down a chimney. ], "The story of Santa Claus began with St. Nicholas, or Sinter Klaus," Pam Robson explains in her book, "How I Celebrate." /* fbq('track', 'PageView'); */ He gained weight, grew a beard, wore fur and kept his peddlers bag on his shoulder: a right jolly old elf. Nast immortalized this transformation in his best portraits, sometimes depicting his own children and his Morristown family home in New Jersey. Where did he come from, why does he do it, and how does he accomplish this seemingly impossible task? The drawing became so popular that is still widely reproduced today. He immigrated to the United States as a young child. Heres how it works. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete. His portrayals of Santa Claus helped to create the enduring image of a jolly, white-bearded man in a red suit who brings gifts to children on Christmas Eve. The appearance of today's Santa Claus was set. Nasts caricature of the fleeing political boss led to Tweeds identification and arrest in Vigo, Spain, in 1876. A few years later, in December 1823, Clement Clark Moore, a professor at New Yorks Episcopalian seminary, published a poem intended for his own children called Twas the Night Before Christmas in The Sentinel, a New York state newspaper. Happy Birthday General Robert E. Lee Confederate General Robert Edward Lee was born on this day in 1807. The original works were painted in oil, and then adapted for posters, billboards, and magazines. Prior to Nasts work, Santas outfit was tan in color, and it was he that changed it to red, although he also drew Santa in a green suit. Thomas Nast was a Radical Republicanwho favored abolition and opposed segregation. If so, he certainly got his wish. He was also the man who invented Santa Claus. Although other artists of the period sketched Santa Claus, Nast stands apart from the rest for his role in creating and popularizing the modern image of the Christmas figure. Over the course of 20+ years, Nast's Santa drawings appeared 33 times. In typical Nast fashion, the selection of toys and military-style bags from which they emerge carried political meanings that would have been understandable to Nasts original audience. Nasts Santa Claus clothes were neither red (as Coca-Colas Santa Claus would later be), nor green (as those of Saint Nicholas often were), but rather brown with short bristles, in accordance with the description contained in Clement Clark Moores poem A Visit from St. Nicholas (circa 1880), more commonly known as The Night Before Christmas: He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot; And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot. For the next 30 years Nast continued to draw Santa changing the color of his coat from tan to the red hes known for today. In 1875, Louis Prang, the father of the American Christmas card, printed a series of postcards with a Santa Claus in a red costume. His January 3, 1863 cover depicted Santa Claus handing out presents to Union soldiers. Thomas Nast did not invent the American Christmas, but the German immigrant did develop the iconic image of its central celebratory figure, Santa Claus. At times, though, his satire could be downright prejudiced, particularly against the Irish and the Catholics, and he used many stereotypes common in his time. Cartoonist Thomas Nast His use of Santa Claus was melancholy, sad for the faltering Union war effort in which Nast so fervently believed, and sad for the separation of soldiers and families. "Without Thomas Nast, our vision of Santa Claus might be very different. The poem was an instant success and played a key role in introducing a portly and larger-than-life Santa Claus to the collective American imagination. In parallel, Louis Prang (1824-1907), the man who introduced Christmas cards to the United States in 1875, also took part in developing the clich by depicting Santa in a snowy and icy setting, wearing a big coat with a hood lined with white fur, boots and a cloth bag for toys. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Santas Portrait (below),a color illustration by the noted German born American political cartoonist Thomas Nast, appeared in an 1881 edition of Harpers Magazine. When he was about 13-years-old he dropped out of regular school and next year he studied art with Theodore Kaufmann. The cult of Saint Nicholas did not escape Europes religious upheavals. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf.. This depiction got progressively bigger o. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Prior to Nasts drawings, Saint Nicolas and later Santa Claus, had been drawn as a tall, thin man. March 23, 1867 But even after the war ended,. Discover the best of France-Amrique every week in our newsletter. He was a critic of Democratic Representative Boss Tweed and the Tammany Hall Democratic party political machine. Even as Saint Nicholas was chased away from the Lutheran Protestant regions, he was welcomed in the Netherlands, despite its Calvinist majority. "Who ever heard of a skinny Santa?" In the right corner of the drawing Santa Claus is shown riding a sleigh pulled by reindeer. In this poem inspired by the folk legends of the German, Dutch and Norwegian communities settled in the United States, one no longer recognizes the austere Bishop of Myra! It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around A.D. 280 in Patara, near Myra in modern-day . This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. In fact, Nast's Santa was the inspiration behind the Coke bottles! In 1859 he moved to the New York Illustrated Newsand in 1860 he was sentto Englandproviding coverage of a major prizefight and he also went to Italy to provide coverage of Garibaldis campaigns in Italy. | Thomas Nast, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain. October 24, 1874 As years passed by Nast was adding detailsto the story of Santas life through his illustrations. Children came to believe that he would reward them if they were good.". Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. Over the next several years, Nast continued to draw Santa Claus in various cartoons and illustrations for Harpers Weekly. Who created the modern Santa Claus image? In the days before quick and easy photography, periodicals of all stripes employed artists to sketch current events. Santa Claus speaking to a child on the telephone, based on a Thomas Nast illustration. The Dutch are credited with transporting the legend of Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas) to New Amsterdam (now New York City), along with the custom of giving gifts and sweets to children on his feast day, December 6. After 1854, the Society expanded its political control even further by earning the loyalty of the citys rapidly expanding immigrant community, which functioned as its base of political capital. During Christmas in 1862 Nastfirst drew Santa Claus but the drawings firstappeared on the cover of the January 3, 1863, issue of Harpers Weekly,and shows Santa Claus visiting a Civil War Camp. Who was the first person to draw Santa Claus? Unfortunately he contracted yellow fever in Ecuador and diedon December 7, 1902. His new fame spread all over the New World. His most famous drawing of Santa Claus appeared in the January 1, 1881 issue ofHarpers Weekly. Thomas Nast did not invent the American Christmas, but the German immigrant did develop the iconic image of its central celebratory figure, Santa Claus. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; Dressed in robes, with a crown of holly in his head, Father Christmas was a Dionysus-like figure who livened up some pretty wild Christmas parties. What is the history of the image of Santa Claus? Abraham Lincoln commented on Nast's work saying, "Thomas Nast was our best recruiting officer." His powerful cartoons stirred people into . Despite his political activism, Thomas Nast is better known for something else changing Christmas forever by creating the modern-day image of Santa Claus. For the next 30 years Nast continued to draw Santa changing the color of his coat from tan to the red hes known for today. STREAM LIVE GAMES, AND MORE * Watch NESN and NESN+ from any mobile device * Live-streaming coverage of every Red Sox and Bruins game * Access to Red Sox and Bruins postgame analysis & . What time do the fireworks start at drayton manor? Columbia asks, "Shall I Trust These Men, and Not This Man?". He is often credited with creating the modern image of Santa Claus, although his portrayal was not the first and was actually based on earlier depictions of the jolly, gift-giving figure. German-born political cartoonist Thomas Nast gave America some of its most enduring symbols: the Republican elephant, the Democratic donkey, and Uncle Sam. Abolitionist cartoonist Thomas Nast had a big role in manufacturing the US version of the Christmas patriarch. Nast gives higher purpose to the horror of war in his multi-part depiction of the past lives of African Americans and the future Emancipation could bring them. Over his career, Thomas Nast created or popularized the now-familiar images of the Democratic donkey, the Republican elephant, Uncle Sam, and Columbia (a female personification of America). Curiously, the Church celebrates his birthday not on December 6, but on the day of his death. Coca-Cola History In fact, when Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus for Harpers Weekly in 1862, Santa was a small elflike figure who supported the Union. Thomas Nast (/nst/; German: [nast]; September 27, 1840 December 7, 1902) was a German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist often considered to be the Father of the American Cartoon. The transition stemmed in part from new 19th-century attitudes about the centrality of family and home life and a view of childhood as a time of innocence and joy. The stone reads, "Negroe Killed, Seymour Ratification, KKK. The drawing became so popular that is still widely reproduced today. Born . He supported Abraham Lincoln andPresident Abraham Lincolndescribed Nast as the best recruiting sergeant for the Union cause since his sketchesinspired readers to support the war effort. He then studied for a time at the National Academy of Design and when he was about 15-years-old he started working as a draftsman for Leslies Illustrated Newspaper. On a Christmas cover of Harpers Weekly, he depicted himself in front of the fireplace, holding a long mother-of-pearl (meerschaum) pipe that was very popular at the time in Germany and the Netherlands. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Nast made 33 Harpers Christmas illustrations from 1863 through 1886, and almost all of them feature Santa. It is because of Nast that we have the donkey and the elephants as symbols for the two major political parties in the United States, it is because of Nast that we have a goateed Uncle Sam, and it is because of Nast that we have the modern Santa Claus. It features a picture of Santa Claus with a bag on his back, walking past two children sleeping in bed. Threats of retribution by Tweed and his cronies made Nast and his family leave New York in 1871. Other artists, including Haddon Sundblom and J.C. Leyendecker, also contributed to the development of the Santa Claus character. In the pastSanta Claus was presented in various ways butNast conceived and introduced our modern image of Santa Claus. The cult of St. Nicholas had died in Europe with the Protestant Reformation except in the Netherlands, where, on December 5 of each year, the eve of his feast day, Dutch children would set out their shoes in hopes that . But even after the war ended, Nast continued to use Santa Claus to make certain pointed political statements. And as Reconstruction-era corruption and violence spun out of control, he drew cartoons that criticized black legislators as strongly as earlier cartoons had championed black suffrage and lamented white supremacist violence. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('interstitial-ad');}); *Membership cannot be purchased with Gift Cards. She wrote her honors thesis on the life and work of early-20th century art theorist Roger Fry. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Coca-Cola may have claimed ownership of the symbol and widely circulated the image of a bearded and smiling Santa Claus, yet the brand didnt actually invent anything. One of the most famous of Nasts Santa Claus illustrations is a drawing titled Merry Old Santa Claus that appeared in Harpers Weekly in 1881. Some of this rowdiness likely held over from the pagan Winter Solstice celebrations. ' Like many Northerners, Nast supported President Lincoln, and he made his reputation by championing the Union's cause and the dignity of black people. Although Nast did not use an image of Santa for his 1864 Christmas drawing, he brought St. Nick back in the December 30, 1865 issue of Harper's, which contains a drawing of . He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf., In this poem inspired by the folk legends of the German, Dutch and Norwegian communities settled in the United States, one no longer recognizes the austere Bishop of Myra! Register or Thomas Nast is considered to bethe Father of the American Cartoon and the man who conceived and introduced our modern image of Santa Claus. In 1860 he went to England for the New York Illustrated News and in the same year went to Italy to cover Giuseppe Garibaldis revolt for The Illustrated London News and American publications. While the color of his outfit was nowhere mentioned, this would change during the second half of the 19th century. Nast continued to draw Santa for 30 years, changing the color of his coat from tan to the red he's known for today. The Dwarf and the Giant Thief by Thomas Nast, The Hudson River School: American Art and Early Environmentalism, The Classical Elegance of Beaux-Arts Architecture. The plump Santa Claus whom children all over the world will be keeping an eye out for on Christmas Eve is actually a pretty modern creation. The saint appears in the dreams of a sleeping sailors and expresses the wish to see the Dutch immigrants settle and build a city on the island of Manna-hata (Manhattan). Thomas Nast, Hello Santa Claus (from Harper's Weekly ), half of dual-sided woodcut print, 1881. Unsurprisingly, the drawings from the Civil War often fell solidly in the realm of propaganda; Nast staunchly supported abolition, civil rights and the Republicans. In 1866, he published a compilation of his drawings in Santa Klaus and His Works. After the war, Nast continued to draw often-scathing political commentary. The former Bishop Nicholas, deprived of his miter and cross, was completely unrecognizable as a jolly grandfather with a long white beard. Remy Melina was a staff writer for Live Science from 2010 to 2012. Santa Claus and his reindeer fly across the top of the image and climb down the familys chimney on the left. Our Sites: WetCanvas | Southwest Art | Collector's Guide. By the end of the 18th century, at the time of the 1776 Revolution, Santa Claus became the symbol of American resistance against the British occupying forces! With limited education and little artistic training he joined the art staff of Frank Leslie's Illustrated as a teenager. Sundbloms last ad for the company was painted in 1964. He is frequently credited with having originated the American political cartoon. Washington Irving promoted him in his 1809 A History of New York, a fictional work concerning New Yorks Dutch history. Unsurprisingly, the drawings from the Civil War often fell solidly in the realm of propaganda; Nast staunchly supported abolition, civil rights and the Republicans. Thomas Nast, (born September 27, 1840, Landau, Bavarian Palatinate [now Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany]died December 7, 1902, Guayaquil, Ecuador), American cartoonist, best known for his attack on the political machine of William M. Tweed in New York City in the 1870s. Above all, Coca-Colas red and white colors determined those of Santa Claus contemporary uniform. By Alexandra KielyBA Art History (with honors)Alexandra is an art historian and writer from New Jersey. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot; And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot. In 1860 Nast traveled to Italy as a war correspondent for The Illustrated London News and New York Illustrated News. 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