1864 · New York
by Moore, Clement; Nast, Thomas
New York: James G. Gregory, 1864. Very good.. Civil War-era holiday compendium with an early printing of "A Visit From St. Nicholas" (the original name of the famous poem) and an engraving of Santa by Thomas Nast inspired by the poem. The Santa Claus now synonymous with many Western Christmas traditions was not born at the North Pole, but in Civil War-era America. Bavarian immigrant Thomas Nast, a Union political cartoonist for HARPER'S WEEKLY, looked to Clement C. Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas" for imagery to use in his 1863 holiday illustration for the paper, as well as his own "bearded visage and round belly" – thus, Santa entered US popular culture. The "jolly old elf" is seen distributing toys to Union soldiers in his first appearance, giving the Northern cause "an aura of domestic sentiment, and even sentimentality," that has stuck with the character ever since.
Published as the Civil War was rumbling through its another Christmas, CHRISTMAS POEMS AND PICTURES pairs Nast's Santa with the Moore poem that partially inspired him. It is interesting to contrast this illustration and poem with the other works featured in this collection: many emphasize the Christian aspects of Christmas, while others recall the simpler "days of old / when roads were few, and ways were foul." Although Santa has now become a dominant symbol of the holiday, it is remarkable how the sense of nostalgia has remained a core part of Christmas. An interesting Christmas book, building the Victorian-era iconography of Santa Claus. 9'' x 6.75''. Original green pictorial cloth elaborately stamped in gilt and blind, beveled edges. Yellow coated endpapers, all edges gilt. Illustrated in black and white throughout. 96 pages. Contemporary gift inscription on front free endpaper. Heavy foxing to text and illustrations, boards with just a bit of bumping and rubbing. (Inventory #: 35668)
Published as the Civil War was rumbling through its another Christmas, CHRISTMAS POEMS AND PICTURES pairs Nast's Santa with the Moore poem that partially inspired him. It is interesting to contrast this illustration and poem with the other works featured in this collection: many emphasize the Christian aspects of Christmas, while others recall the simpler "days of old / when roads were few, and ways were foul." Although Santa has now become a dominant symbol of the holiday, it is remarkable how the sense of nostalgia has remained a core part of Christmas. An interesting Christmas book, building the Victorian-era iconography of Santa Claus. 9'' x 6.75''. Original green pictorial cloth elaborately stamped in gilt and blind, beveled edges. Yellow coated endpapers, all edges gilt. Illustrated in black and white throughout. 96 pages. Contemporary gift inscription on front free endpaper. Heavy foxing to text and illustrations, boards with just a bit of bumping and rubbing. (Inventory #: 35668)
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