REMINDER:  PHOTOS MAY LOAD SLOWLY, ESPECIALLY IF USING DAILUP

>>>>>>>>>     LAST REVISED:  DEC. 5 & 22, 2007

[ To visit the regular F.O.C. Darley web site, click: www.focdarley.org ]

THIS IS OUR ANNUAL “CHRISTMAS SPECIAL”:

Who drew the FIRST “TRUE AMERICAN” SANTA … DARLEY OR NAST?

READ BELOW and SEE THE FACTS

“INVENTOR” OF THE FIRST AMERICANIZED SANTA CLAUS …

THOMAS NAST VS. FELIX DARLEY

A NEW YORK TIMES, 1904 “DISCUSSION”

[ SEE THE BOX AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS FRAME FOR THE LINK ]

Felix Darley, from Thomas Nast, first from

Clement Moore’s 1862 book HARPERS, 1863 +

Every Christmas season since 1999 when we became involved with F.O.C. Darley, we have touted his “first” 1862 print in Moore’s “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” and every year there are those that claim that it was illustrator Thomas Nast who did the “first.”

IF you have reason to decide, just remember as you read “facts” … WHO is writing them and what prejudices do they have! For example, my wife, Judith, and I restored and Darley’s Claymont Delaware home in 1991 and lived there through 2004. I was founder and Executive Director of the Darley Society, Inc. from 1999 – 2004.

Obviously we have a strong tie (interest) to Darley. Likewise, some of those touting Nast, have “ties.” For example, last year, I found that an editorial writer, critical of my claims in the Wilmington NEWS JOURNAL, was in fact, a leader in the Nast Society (which he did not reveal).

We believe that we have adequate FACTS that Darley was the FIRST, but that Nast certainly is “recognized” by most as the originator of today’s Santa, after all, he illustrated “improving” Santas from 1863 to ~ 1900; Darley did this one illustration for Moore’s book.

Even Nast appears to have been “replaced” by the “Coca Cola” Santa! (Shown near the end, below).

FACT: Which did the first “best” rendering may be in the eye of the beholder, as is much art … but Darley was first.

Our research has found that this “discussion” has been going on at least since 1904, as summarized below. This “page” should provide adequate facts and renderings of both, such that you can make up YOUR mind as to who had the FIRST “Americanized Santa Claus.”

Ray and Judith Hester, December 2007

Owners of Darley’s “Wren’s Nest” estate

in Claymont, Delaware, 1991-2004

E-Mail: Darley_99@yahoo.com

From Moore’s 1862 book

(SOURCE, On-line: “Santa Claus and Thomas Nast,” THE NEW YORK TIMES,” published June 4, 1904;

[ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C0CEEDD1F3AE733A25757C0A9609C946597D6CF

CLICK to go there

The F.O.C. Darley web page: www.focdarley.org//indexREGdar.html

for more Darley information

“FIRST OR SECOND?”

Is it REALLY important who did it first?

Apparently it is most important only to those of us who want to see Felix Darley get the attention, credit, and acclaim that he so richly deserves … for being:"America's First Illustrator," who SHOWED the newly independent Americans their heroes, their history, their leaders, and everyday people from ALL walks of life in all parts of the new country.”

“… he helped define the ways in which American readers

imagined much of their own past.”

(American Studies web page, University of Virginia, 2007)

“His works helped forge our national identity”

(Graphics Dept., NYC Public Library, 2000).

NOW, we add the first truly “American” Santa.

MORE INFORMATION?

Continue below

WITH WASHINGTON IRVING’S HELP,

FELIX DARLEY “INVENTED” THE FIRST “AMERICAN” SANTA IN 1862

IN THE FIRST REGULAR BOOK OF CLEMENT C. MOORE’S

“A VISIT FROM SAINT NICHOLAS”

Below is a 2001 Christmas card from the "Wren's Nest."

(Darley House, Claymont, Delaware)

using Darley’s illustrations in Moore’s book:

THOMAS NAST’S “FIRST” CAME IN 1863 in “Harpers” (mag.) … and wasn’t his best.

SEE DETAILS AND DRAWINGS BELOW

[ From the last page of the 1862 book ]

MORE ON THE HOUSE BELOW

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.

As noted in the card above, Saint Nicholas was born in Turkey in 350 AD. Through the centuries, “MANY” artists depicted him in a variety of media and frescos. In all (that we’ve seen), he had a long white beard and long coat, etc.

Irving’s “Santa” was drawn in two Moore BROCHURES / ARTICLES in the 1840s .. however, these Santas were “very Dutch and almost gremlin ” in their appearance

Fact is, THE SANTA THAT WE WOULD MOST IDENTIFY AS “AMERICAN” WAS DRAWN BY DARLEY IN MOORE’S “A VISIT FROM SAINT NICHOLAS” in 1862.

Darley drew (visualized) Washington Irving's Dutch Santa that Irving had described in “A KNICKERBOCKER'S HISTORY OF NEW YORK." Darley illustrated that book for Irving in his revised 1849 edition, but did not illustrate 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.

We note that the THOMAS NAST SOCIETY, of course, has done much to have Nast recognized as “the first.” They didn’t “put Darley’s rendering down,” they just don’t mention it in any significant way (as we would understand).

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. and his true “American” Santa did not come until much later. In our opinion, HIS Santa did not truly look like TODAY’s Santa until about 1878.

Thomas Nast first drew Santa in ‘HARPER’S MAGAZINE in 1863”. He shows a “patriotic” Santa, in a seated position, hardly the one we visualize today (see below).

At the encouragement of HARPERS, Nast continued to refine his Santa through the next “almost” half-century (1863 - 1902).

In the 1930’s, even Nast’s “American Santa” was unseated by another illustrator, Haddon Sundblom, who refined Santa into what was known as the “Coca-Cola” Santa., a Santa that we, today, most likely envision.

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” … CLAYMONT, DELAWARE

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.)

================= =========================== =============================== ===================

NOW LET’S LOOK AT THE “FIRST AMERICAN” SANTAS:

AS “WE” AND SEVERAL EXPERTS HAVE AGREED,

DARLEY IS “FIRST TO DRAW A TRUE “AMERICAN”

SANTA FROM IRVING’S STORY.

You decide what YOU think … you ARE entitled to YOUR opinion:

St. Nicholas, born in c. 340 AD was illustrated MANY times

and in MANY ways (books, frescos, etc). All were “older” men, long

white beard, long coat, various hats. Examples:

=================== =================================== ==============

WASHINGTON IRVING DESCRIBED A “DUTCH SANTA”

IN HIS 1809 “A KNICKERBOCKER’S HISTORY OF NEW YORK”

THIS WAS THE “BEGINNING” OF THE AMERICANIZATION OF SANTA.

(Darley illustrated the 2^nd edition of this book in 1849,

but did NOT draw the Santa in it)

BOYD DREW THESE IN AN 1849 PHAMPLET OF

CLEMENT C. MOORE’S POEM,

“A VISIT FROM SAINT NICHOLAS”

(aka “The Night Before Christmas”):

(The drawing on the right is from OUR booklet, but it is

also on www.stnicholascenter.org

THE ST. NICHOLAS CENTER WEB SITE, A GREAT SITE,

and doesn’t take sides as to “first,” they just present facts.

This booklet was not widely distributed; only 2 “original” copies are

known to be in existence today (One is in the NYC Public Library).

Many facsimile copies exist ... we own one. This “Dutch Santa” (based on Washington Irving’s work)

drawing is known as the BEGINNING of the Americanization of Santa, but

he’s still VERY “DUTCH” here

========================= =================================== ============

DARLEY’S RENDERING, FROM CLEMENT C. MOORE’S 1862 BOOK,

“A VISIT FROM SAINT NICHOLAS”

Publisher James Gregory.

This was the first real “book” of the Moore poem.

You can see Darley’s “further Americanization” of

Irving’s description, above

THIS SANTA CAN BE SEEN IN MANY PLACES ON LINE .. .”THE GUTENBURG PROJECT” IS ONE

THAT SHOWS ALL THE “MOORE” BOOK PAGES, INCLUDING THIS “FIRST TRUE AMERICAN” SANTA.

================= =========================== ======================

NOW, LET’S LOOK AT THOMAS NAST’S “EARLY, AMERICAN SANTA”:

A COUPLE MORE NAST ILLUSTRATIONS FROM 1863

MOST ALL OF NAST’S SANTA APPEARED IN “HARPER’S MAGAZINE”

HARPERS, JANUARY 1863

“SANTA VISITS THE UNION TROOPS”

THIS IS THE ONLY 1863 NAST THAT I COULD FIND …

IT REALLY DOES NOT SHOW SANTA WELL AT ALL

SO, THERE’S NOT TOO MUCH FOR DIRECT COMPARISON

FOR THE TWO 1862 – 1863 VERSIONS // Editor

Nast was known as “the father of the American political cartoon,”

of which, this was one, I.e., Santa was with the “Union” troops,

not the Southern ones .. thus, the emphasis was on the

COSTUME (re: “flag”), not the face, body, etc. of Santa.

FROM “HARPERS” 1865

< ----- BLOW-UP” OF THE 1863 SANTA IN THE

FRAME TO THE LEFT

FOR MORE ON THE “FIRST” NAST SANTA …

GO TO THE SON OF THE SOUTH WEB SITE (click below):

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/Original_Santa_Claus.htm

[ NOTE: Nast’s FIRST Santa appeared in HARPERS in January 1863 .. not 1862 ]

CONTINUE DOWN FOR

MORE NAST & SANDBLOM SANTAS

THOMAS NAST’S SANTA, 1878

( EDITOR’S OPINION: “after refinement

from Darley’s 1862 version … above” )

From Harpers Magazine, Dec., 1878

The account says that Nast based his Santa on

Clement Moore’s description

THOMAS NAST, 1882 HARPERS (?) .. AT NORTH POLE

(OUR OPINION: NOT TOO MUCH DIFFERENCE

VS. DARLEY’S 1862 VERSION … NOW 20 YEARS LATER)

====================== ================================ ==================================

THEN BY THE 1930’S, WE HAD ANOTHER “VERSION” …

A FURTHER “IMPROVEMENT” FROM NAST … AND DARLEY

WHAT ABOUT THE

COCA-COLA SANTA?

HERE’S ONE RENDERING OF THE STORY …

FROM: “THE CLAUS THAT REFRESHES”

http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp

“At the beginning of the 1930s, the burgeoning Coca-Cola company was -still looking for ways to increase sales of their product during winter, then a slow time of year for the soft drink market. They turned to a talented commercial illustrator named Haddon Sundblom, who created a series of memorable drawings that associated the figure of a larger than life, red-and-white garbed Santa Claus with Coca-Cola.”

Dream of Santa

PRINT: Dream of Santa: Haddon Sundblom's Vision.

Alexandria, VA: Staple & Charles Ltd., 1992. ISBN 0-9634907-0-2 (pp. 7-16).

BEING BORN IN 1943, THIS IS THE “AMERICAN” SANTA THAT I REMEMBER

ONE OF THE BEST SITES ON THE WEB

FOR MORE INFORMATION IS THE NON-PROFIT,

THE ST.NICHOLAS CENTER

WEB SITE; CLICK BELOW TO GO THERE:

www.stnicholascenter.org (“Home” page)

For their “Santa timeline”… click below

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=458

[ Note in the timeline, the book shown as“1823” is

actually the 1862, James Gregory,“Darley” illustrated book

… the first widely distributed BOOK of C. Moore’s 1822 poem. ]

SOME MORE INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT DARLEY’S “FIRST SANTA”:

IN ILLUSTRATING MOORE’S BOOK,

DARLEY USED THE “WRENS NEST” (his home)

AND THE CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION AS “MODELS” …

CLICK FOR MORE INFO:

l www.focdarley.org/modelx.html

[ Use “back” to return here ]

DELAWARE’S WINTERTHUR MUSEUM

USES DARLEY’S SANTA EACH YEAR

(Or was each year as of 2004)

Winterthur Museum in Wilmington Delaware (and until recently, in Odessa, DE) uses Darley’s Santa every year in their visitors anteroom and sometimes in their advertising.

They know who did the art, and when a visitor asks, they have a typed page that they give to the visitor telling a little about the art and Darley.

Darley’s art is frequently used in today’s magazines, books, and advertising. Unfortunately, it’s very unusual for the user to give Darley credit.

Lack of credit is not usually intentional … often, they just don’t know who did the work as most of his work is now in the public domain.

The editors and the Darley Society try to advise publishers and authors when they see publications “requesting” that they note that F.O.C. Darley did the work.

[ There is a section on this web site for EXAMPLES OF MODERN USE ]

MORE ON "SANTA?"
WAS DARLEY THE "FIRST?"
TRY THESE LINKS

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From the Florida State University web site:

The Night Before Christmas Poem and its Parodies
About the Poem, it’s author, and illustrators

GO THERE

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