Woodworker's Journal 1994-18-6, страница 51

Santa Claus's Image: A Thumbnail History

In Europe, where St. Nicholas has flourished for centuries as a legendary figure, he has usually been depicted as a somber bishop in flowing robes. In this country, however, by mid-19th century, the old European images of St. Nick began to merge with new traditions, which created a Santa Claus with a uniquely American personality.

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In pre-colonial times, Puritans and other religious sects discouraged the celebration of St. Nicholas's Day. But the tradition persisted until, in 1809, the legend of St. Nicholas as a friend of children and bringer of gifts was given new life by Washington Irving in his Diedrich Knickerbocker's History of New York, a humorous and highly fictionalized history of the Dutch colonists.

In a scries of Harper s Weekly cartoons (1863-1886), artist Thomas Nast gave us the first truly American depictions of St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus, as he became better known. Nast's renderings were inspired both by Irving's Dutch legends and Clement Moore's popular 1822 poem, "The Night Before Christmas.''

Instead of bishop's robes, Nast's Santa wore a red coat with a broad belt and

Novembcr/December 1994 1<1

Five years ago, when we offered Rick and Ellen Biitz's German Saint Nick!ait.s figure as our holiday carving project

(Now'Dec. 1989), we hadn'/ really planned on launching a tradition. Readers clamored for more. however, so we called on Rick and Ellen again. Their 18th-century Father Christmas figure (Now/Dec. 1991) WOtl the Blitzes an even larger following. A third project, the traditional American Santa Claus (Nov./Dec. 1993), made it a series. Does a fourth Biitz Christmas figure establish a

Woodworker's Journal tradition? We hope so.

by Rick and Ellen Biitz