When Clement Clarke Moore wrote his immortal poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas” which described Santa Claus in such a vivid way and gave lively names to his reindeer, he inspired the famous Harper’s Weekly cartoonist, Thomas Nast.
Until Nast picked up his pen, America’s images of Santa Claus were many. No one characterization really stuck to him. Some thought of him as a man in buckskin, a throwback to the pioneer days. Others saw him as the mitred bishop from the Old World. Still others saw him as a sprightly gent in Dutch garments, chewing on a long pipe.
Nast’s pen-and-ink drawings gave Santa the universal image he enjoys today. . the plump. comfortable, loveable gent with the bag of toys on his back. He was still a bit of an elf, as the poem might suggest, but he soon would grow in size with the help from Madison Avenue.
The Harper’s Weekly drawings featured in the 1860s included a cover picture of Santa dressed in Stars and Stripes, presenting gifts to the Union soldiers at camp. Another had him jumping from sleigh to chimney with a pipe clenched in his teeth. Often, his drawings included children nestled snugly in their beds as Santa made his rounds.
Abraham Lincoln was president at the time and asked Nast to create a Santa image for America.
