Music: Santa Claus is Coming to Town
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Thomas Nast
Political Cartoonist
1840 - 1902
In 1862 Thomas Nast joined the staff of Harper's Weekly and began developing his talents as a caricaturist. He is best known for his campaign against the Tweed Ring of New York City in which he publicized their web of corruption. He is also noted for his creation of famous symbols, including a genial and rotund Santa Claus, the donkey to designate the Democratic Party, and the elephant as a symbol of the Republican Party.
Thomas Nast's inspiration for what Santa should look like, came from Clement Moore's poem 'Twas a Night Before Christmas. Nast gave us a softer, kinder Santa who was still old but appeared less stern than the ecclesiastical St. Nicholas. Nast dressed his elfin figure in red and endowed him with human characteristics. Most important of all, Nast gave Santa a home at the North Pole. For twenty-three years, his annual drawings in Harpers Weekly magazine allowed Americans to peek into the magical world of Santa Claus and set the stage for the shaping of today's merry gentleman. Click here to go to our Christmas Photo Gallery where you can see a sampling of Santa illustrations by Nast.
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