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Though
Thomas Nast gets most of the credit for “inventing” the Santa that Americans
identify with today, it was Felix Darley who drew the first “AMERICAN SANTA”
for the first edition book of Clement C. Moore’s, “A VISIT FROM SAINT
NICHOLAS” in 1862.
So
famous was Darley in 1862 that his name only appeared on the front of the
book; people at that time would
associate more with Darley than Moore.
Nast’s
first Santa illustration came a year later in 1863. He then spent the next
few decades refining his Santa such that most identify “today’s” Santa with
him.
As
Darley often did, he used LOCAL people and buildings as models for his work.
In this case, he used his own home (with slight modifications) and the Chruch
of the Ascension.
In
drawing the scene of Santa arriving in the side yard (between the house and
where Ascension Church is today), he also drew a small church ACROSS THE
STREET (I.e., The Philadelphia Pike). That is where the Church of the
Ascension was in 1862 (having been built in 1854) … it was moved across the street to its present location in
1924. Of course, there are
modifications to the building in Darley’s drawing, but never the less, it
WAS the inspiration and core for his drawing in the book.
The greatly enlarged
drawings below come from Moore’s 1862 book to better show these details.
The
Darley family were members of the Ascension Church; Felix’s brother, Alfred,
was on the Vestry. The church still has the Bible that the family donated to
the church; it was used in the ceremony for the 150th Anniversary
in 2001.
Yes, Claymont’s
history is rich, and full of “firsts.”
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