This is plainly 20thC American, from my point of view. As someone has already pointed out, the vision of Santa differs from culture to culture. The Nast version is the first that I am aware of, which is influenced by the description given in the "Night Before Christmas"(as it is now known) Are you aware of the Dover issue that presents a collection of Santas and farther Christmas? This source might be a starting point in creating the view of Santa you are looking for.
Kathleen ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2005 11:36 AM Subject: [h-cost] Re: h-costume Digest, Vol 4, Issue 603 > Thanks for your responses. I think we're getting somewhere, but let me rephrase my question. What I'm really wondering is, if I wanted to make a costume like this one: http://www.adclassix.com/images54cokesanta.jpg > and call it historical, where would I go to document it? Who would have worn something like that in real life? Victorian isn't my period, but I don't recall ever seeing anybody dress like that in my brief studies of that century. Is it a Victorian or 20th Century confabulation of some earlier period? Or is it some kind of 19th Century Dutch costume? Does anyone have any pictures of a real person wearing a similar costume, maybe in some other color or without the fur trim? Nast seems to have dressed him in clothes derived from his own period, though possibly a little fantasized, but did the Coca-Cola artist make up the traditional costume or did he derive it from earlier drawings? > > Tea Rose > > P.S. I think I'll go look up that WonderWorker book; thanks for the reference. I know there are all kinds of Santas these days, which is why I don't feel compelled to do the traditional suit, but I'm curious about where the traditional suit came from. > > ============================== > From: "Abel, Cynthia" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > I don't think all of Nast's Santa's wore a red > outfit, but just about all the images I recall usually show him in a > practical winter weather two-piece fur-trimmed suit, suited for a jolly > old elf" and a stocking cap. > > If I remember correctly, this Claus was derived more from the slightly Protestanized Dutch Sinter Claaus, than St. Nicholas. > > A great big very well-fed guy in a cheery and > confident color red with grandfatherly white beard and whiskers was just > the visual ticket to lift the economically stressed consumer. > > Amazon.com has Wonderworker: the history of Santa Claus, > which has a pic of one of Thomas Nast's Santa's on the cover--with a > very present-day politically incorrect pipe between his lips! > > From: Dawn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > http://www.dovercards.com/_images/0486236609_46_Thomas%2520Nast_Santa%2520at%2520Chimney.jpg > > This is a Nast Santa, and it looks like he's in longjohns. > > http://www.sonofthesouth.net/Thomas_Nast/Original_Santa_Claus.jpg > > Another Nast Santa, from 1865, he's in striped pants, a fur lined jacket > with stars on it, and some kind of cap, but it still doesn't look like > 1865 fashion. The image is heavily political, the stars and stripes are > obviously iconic. > > http://www.adclassix.com/images54cokesanta.jpg > > This is a Coca-Cola Santa from 1954... and you're right. What the heck > is the suit supposed to be? It's not a 1954 men's fashion, is it? > > And why red? > > Dawn > > From: "Kate Pinner" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > 1822 -- Clement Moore -- "A Visit From Saint Nicholas". > This supposedly gave us the first picture of how he was dressed (a picture > in words). The newspaper/magazine artists took it from there. Before that, > I don't think there was a clear image of him that someone could identify > immediately by some specific article of clothing...at least in the US. > Kate > _______________________________________________ > h-costume mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
