Emancipation of Negroes, The Past and the Future. What does coarsened facial features mean? A strong supporter of the Republican party, African-American rights, and abolitionism, Nast vigorously attacked all that he found to be corrupt and immoral in 19th-century American politics. In 1875, Louis Prang, the father of the American Christmas card, printed a series of postcards with a Santa Claus in a red costume. The clever Coke advertisers hired American artist Haddon Sundblom (1899-1976) to create a Santa Claus who would appear as an actual person, not a myth, magician, or an impersonator wearing a fake beard and a padded suit. As years passed by Nast was adding detailsto the story of Santas life through his illustrations. 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. The appearance of today's Santa Claus was set. In 1866, he published a compilation of his drawings in Santa Klaus and His Works. In the days before quick and easy photography, periodicals of all stripes employed artists to sketch current events. 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. 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. 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. Register or Except for the pipe-smoking, the smiling, bearded, ruddy cheeked, red suit wearing, portly old gent sporting a bundle of toys is pretty much the same figure appearing in the iconic Coca Cola ads that appear in the 1930s, some 50 years later. Although they sometimes contained coded political elements, they most often focused on childhood, sentimentality, and the importance of family. A political cartoonist who originated the familar symbols of the Republican elephant and Democratic donkey [above from a post-war edition of Harper's Weekly showing a rampaging elephant heading blindly over a cliff while the donkey becomes the proverbial *** in a lion's skin], Nast is thought to have been the first artist . Nast's view of the Democratic platform for the divisive presidential electionof 1868 places the Democratic candidate in partnership with the poor Irish of the North and loyal Confederates of the South (and its Lost Cause) to keep black men from gaining access to government. Thomas Nast attended school in New York City. He presented an as yet unseen Santa Claus, a cheery fellow with ruddy cheeks: He had a broad face and a little round belly; That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly! 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. Unsurprisingly, the drawings from the Civil War often fell solidly in the realm of propaganda; Nast staunchly supported abolition, civil rights and the Republicans. Nasts Santa Claus lives on into the present day. But even after the war ended,. "His emblematic cartoons have never failed to arouse enthusiasm and patriotism, and have always seemed to come just when these . Thomas Nast was born onSeptember 27, 1840, in Landau, Germany. Today, one can still admire the stained-glass depiction of Nicholas carrying a bishops cross and miter. More recent images, from Norman Rockwells Saturday Evening Post and Haddon Sundbloms illustrations for Coca-Cola to ubiquitous shopping mall Santas and Christmas ornaments, all trace their appearances in part back to Nasts vision. Alexandra enjoys reading, ballroom dancing, and figure skating. Womanhouse: An Iconic Feminist Installation by Miriam Schapiro and Judy Chicago, 11 Most Expensive Fine Art Photography Auction Results In The Last 10 Years, The Great Schism: How the Christian Churches Split, Who Were The Druids Of Roman Britain? Learn how the familiar image of Santa Claus came to be, through the work of German-American illustrator Thomas Nast. Saint Nicholas was popular in his lifetime, and had the reputation of being a miracle maker. In 1862, Nast began working for Harpers Weekly, which would publish his most celebrated and influential work. Before long, countless American artists were inspired by the character. In the right corner of the drawing Santa Claus is shown riding a sleigh pulled by reindeer. Did St Nicholas wear green? Santas Portrait (below),a color illustration by the noted German born American political cartoonist Thomas Nast, appeared in an 1881 edition of Harpers Magazine. Stay up to date with the latest content, educational resources, promotions and special news from our partners. She holds a bachelors degree in Communication from Hofstra University where she graduated with honors. His other Christmas illustrations showed children writing Santa letters, tracking his route, and even calling him on the telephone. 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! by Jasmine Liu December 23, 2021. Sinterklaas, also known as St. Nicholas, was a historical figure who was known for his generosity and kindness, and he is the source of many of the modern Santa Clauss attributes, such as his love of children and his association with Christmas. But Nast's racial attitudes like those of many other Americans were not without contradictions. During Christmas in 1862 Nast first drew Santa Claus but the drawings first appeared on the cover of the January 3, 1863, issue of Harpers Weekly, and shows Santa Claus visiting a Civil War Camp. The stylistic representation of Santa that is so widely recognized in the U.S. today with a fluffy white beard, giant belt buckle and bright red cheeks was further molded by none other than the Coca-Cola Co. From their roots in slavery to the Wild West, hippies, high fashion and hip-hop, jeans are the fabric on which the history of American ideology and politics is writ large. His image, which included elements from the 1823 poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" and the cartoonist's German . He created a modern version of Santa Claus (based on the traditional German figures of Sankt Nikolaus and Weihnachtsmann) and the political symbol of the elephant for the Republican Party (GOP). He is usually depicted wearing ecclesiastical vestments and holding a crozier (bishops staff). Thomas Nast published in 1823 in the Troy Sentinental: he was "chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf"; he arrived on a sleigh drawn by flying . Nast's Civil War era cartoons established the fat jolly elf from the North Pole with a sack filled with presents as the focus of the December 24 th dreams of hundreds of millions of children . This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. We use cookies to optimize our website and our service. fbq('track', 'ViewContent'); Every December 24th millions of people are visited by a short, fat guy in a red suit. Why did Nast draw Santa? When asked to paint some of his works, Nast chose the iconic red and white colours we . Living in New York City, he dropped out of school in favor of studying drawing with fellow German-American Theodore Kaufmann and at the National Academy of Design. Santa goes by several names in different parts of the world and the way he's depicted varies, but in most countries he's shown as a somewhat heavy man in red. In President Lincoln's words, Santa Claus became "his best recruiting agent!" We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Nasts illustrations in. Nasts influence on the image of Santa Claus can still be seen today, in the many variations on the traditional Santa Claus costume that are worn by people around the world during the Christmas season. In another illustration, Santa is seen with a. He published his initial illustration of Santa Claus in his first year with the magazine. var googletag = googletag || {}; AKA Santa Claus. Even more than a century after Nasts death, they beautifully evoke the magic and joy of Christmas to many viewers. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 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! in Art History from Drew University, where she received the Stanley Prescott Hooper Memorial Prize in Art History. In 1823, the second artist, a professor by the name of Doctor Clement Clarke Moore, presented his family with a poem about Santa to amuse his grandchildren and that Santa took over. The poem was A Visit from Saint Nicholas which began, "Twas the night before Christmas.". Copyright 2023 Golden Peak Media. That pagan figure appeared in numerous Victorian images. He has been especially popular in Holland, even after much of the country dropped Catholicism for Protestantism. t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; During the 1840s and 1850s, a series of Arctic explorations had piqued the publics interest in this region. His portrayals of Santa became increasingly popular and were widely reprinted in newspapers and magazines across the country. To accomplish the desired level of realism, Sundblom hired his affable friend and neighbor Lou Prentiss to model. He had a broad face and a little round belly; That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly! The same issue also contained another Nast illustration juxtaposing a soldier in the field with his wife and children at home. fbq('init', '271837786641409'); Prior to Nasts drawings, Saint Nicolas and later Santa Claus, had been drawn as a tall, thin man. 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