A feather Christmas tree is a type of

artificial Christmas tree An artificial Christmas tree is an artificial pine or fir tree manufactured for the specific purpose of use as a Christmas tree. The earliest artificial Christmas trees were wooden, tree-shaped pyramids or feather trees, both developed by Germans. ...

that is generally considered one of the first artificial trees used as a Christmas tree. They originated in Germany in the late 19th century and became popular in the United States during the early 20th century.

History

Feather Christmas trees were first created in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in the 1880s or 1890s and are regarded as one of the first types of artificial Christmas trees.John, J. ''A Christmas Compendium'',
Google Books
, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005, p. 129, (). These first artificial trees were, in part, a response to growing environmental concerns in the late 19th century concerning

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...

associated with the harvest of Christmas trees in Germany. The tradition of feather Christmas trees was brought to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

by German immigrants in places such as

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

.Leiser, Amy.
The Pennsylvania Christmas Tree
, ''Monroe County Historical Association'', December 2005, accessed March 28, 2009. Feather Christmas trees became popular during the early 20th century, and were sold by department stores in the United States. Benefits touted for feather trees included the elimination of a trip to the tree lot and the lack of shed needles.Marling, Karal Ann. ''Merry Christmas!: Celebrating America's Greatest Holiday'',
Google Books
, Harvard University Press, 2000, pp. 58–62, (). Today, feather Christmas trees are valued as a collectible antique. One German tree sold at auction in 2008 for $230.Wiggins, Pamela.
Feather Christmas Tree
, ''

about.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...

'', accessed March 28, 2009.

Design

Feather trees were initially made of green-dyed

goose A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the ...

feathers Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and a premier ...

which were attached to wire branches. The feathers were split and then secured with wire to form the branches. These wire branches were then wrapped around a central dowel which acted as the trunk. The branches were widely spaced to keep the candles from starting a fire, which allowed ample space for ornamentation. Feather Christmas trees ranged widely in size, from a small tree to a large tree sold in

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

s during the 1920s.Silverthorne, Elizabeth. ''Christmas in Texas'',
Google Books
, Texas A&M University Press, 1994, p. 62, (). Often, the tree branches were tipped with artificial red berries which acted as candle holders.

References

External links

Country Mitten Feather Tree
, (Image of 1930s Feather tree), '' Better Homes and Gardens'', accessed March 28, 2009.
Joanne Hobbs Creates Goose Feather Christmas Trees at Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea
, (

Press release A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...

), Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, via '' Kentucky.gov'', November 25, 2008, accessed March 28, 2009. {{christmas trees Artificial Christmas trees German-American culture

History

Design

References

Further reading

External links