Santa Claus in Question

"Dear Joan of Art, I read an article about Thomas Nast, the artist who gave us the picture of Santa Claus. I am hoping you can locate a copy of it to use with my art students, or some information on Nast."

Dear Reader:
Much information is available on the famous illustrator. Thomas Nast's first depictions of Santa Claus appeared in the magazine Harper's Weekly in 1862.

"The images of Thomas Nast, the father of American cartooning, have entered the world's imagination as independent entities more than any others. Nast ennobled the American cartoon, giving it dignity and a symbolic portentousness never claimed by its European counterparts. The writer discusses Nast's life in cartooning and illustration, his creation of the popular image of Santa Claus, and his political cartoons."
—Reader's Guide Abstract of Gopnik article cited below.

On the Web, you can see some of Nast's images of Santa Claus on a site called the History of Santa Claus at http://www.the-north-pole.com/history/.

You can track the following references through your local libraries:

Gopnik, Adam. "The Man Who Invented Santa Claus (T. Nast)." The New Yorker 73, (Dec. 15 1997): page 84.

Keller, Morton. The Art and Politics of Thomas Nast (New York: Oxford University Press, 1968).

Joan of Art

Pictured: Thomas Nast, Merry Old Santa Claus, reproduced in Harper's Weekly, January 1, 1881.