“Merry Old Santa Claus”
“Ho, Ho, Ho!”
“Merry Old Santa Claus” is an engraving on paper by the German American artist and illustrator, Thomas Nast. It was printed in Harper’s Weekly on January 1, 1881. Nast provided illustrations of Santa Claus to Harper’s Weekly between 1863 and 1886, creating 33 different images of this jolly old elf.
Many credit Nast with creating the first modern visual depiction of Santa Claus in the form that we all know and love today. His illustration was directly inspired by the description of Santa Claus in the poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, better known today as “The Night Before Christmas”. The figure was embellished upon using Nast’s childhood memories from Germany of Belsnickel, a Santa-type figure who would deliver toys to children every Christmas. “A Visit from St. Nicholas” was originally published anonymously in 1823, under the title “Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas”. It is allegedly by Clement Clark Moore, but some argue that it could have been written by Henry Livingston, Jr.
This version of Santa Claus marked a transition in holiday characters, who originally were mischievous, dangerous, and scary, who changed into a benevolent gift-giver. Nast depicts a happy rendition of Santa Claus. He is smoking a kaolin pipe, with the swirling smoke visible against the white background. He is smiling and clutching an armful of toys with a pack on his back. Holly decorates his fur-lined cap.
Nast was a political critic at heart, and this piece has been interpreted as propaganda. Nast was pro-military in that he wanted the soldiers to be paid as promised and taken care of when needed. As reported by the Smithsonian Magazine, in 1881, the government was debating whether to pay increased wages to soldiers. In response, Nast’s Santa carries a saber and wears a US belt buckle on his arm, representative of the soldiers. The sack upon Santa’s back is actually a soldier’s military pack. He carries a horse, symbolic of the Trojan horse, and a doll with its arms out as if it is begging. In his left hand hangs a watch, with the time of ten minutes to midnight, indicating the little time left the government has to make good on its promise.
This print of “Merry Old Santa Claus” is part of the collections of the Macculloch Hall Historical Museum in Morristown, New Jersey, in the United States.
For more on Thomas Nast, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
