TODAY'S SANTA WAS "BORN" IN CLAYMONT, DELAWARE
Yes, today’s Santa was “born” right here in
Claymont, Delaware in Darley's studio at "Wren's Nest" (Darley
House) in 1862.
Fact is, Darley drew (visualized) Washington
Irving's Dutch Santa that Irving had described in A KNICKENBOCKER'S
“HISTORY OF NEW YORK." Darley illustrated that book for Irving in his
revised 1849 edition, but did not illustate the Santa until asked to do so
by James Gregory Publishing for Clement Moore's first BOOK of the poem in
1862.
Darley was so well known in 1862, that HIS
name, not Moore’s appeared on the cover of the book (i.e., the title, and
“Illustrated by F.O.C. Darley”). This can be seen in the link below.
In spite of all that we and
the Darley Society have done to publicize the work of Felix Darley in these
last 5 years, we STILL see Thomas Nast being credited as the “inventor” of
today’s Santa Clause.
Nast was a great illustrator,
but HIS Santa came one year AFTER Darley’s rendering was printed in the
first “book” of Clement Moore’s poem, A VISIT FROM SAINT NICHOLAS in 1862.
Thomas Nast first drew Santa
in ‘HARPER’S MAGAZINE” in 1863, and continued to refine his Santa. Later in the
1930’s, another illustrator, Haddon Sundblom, refined Santa into what was known as the “Coca-Cola”
Santa.
Darley drew Santa once … Nast
continued his refining for decades and thus is popularly known as the
originator of “today’s” Santa, but Darley was truly the “first.”
This is just ONE of the wonderful
historic things about out “town.”
(This is fact, not legend; check
it out)
TO SEE ALL PAGES
OF THE BOOK, CLICK
HERE
(Once there, you
can click to enlarge the pages)
(The
site above uses an 1869 book edition
but it is the same
as
the first 1862 edition .. verified, as we have the 1862 edition)
NOTE PAGE 2: The house in Darley's
drawing is his own "Wren's Nest."
(The
now enclosed side porch was an open veranda in Darley's tenure.)
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