"Old Santeclaus with Much Delight" is an anonymous illustrated children's poem published in New York in 1821, predating by two years the first publication of '' A Visit from St. Nicholas'' (''Twas the Night before Christmas''). It is the first publication to mention (and illustrate)

Santa Claus's reindeer In traditional festive legend and popular culture, Santa Claus's reindeer are said to pull a sleigh through the night sky to help Santa Claus deliver gifts to children on Christmas Eve. The number of reindeer characters, and the names given t ...

and his sleigh, as well as being the first to describe his arrival on

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

. The accompanying illustrations are the earliest published artistic depictions of a

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

figure.

Publication

The poem, with eight colored

engraved Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an i ...

illustrations, was published in New York by William B. Gilley in 1821 as a small paperback book entitled ''The Children's Friend: A New-Year's Present, to the Little Ones from Five to Twelve''. The names of the author and the illustrator are not known. The illustrations were reproduced lithographically, the first instance of lithography in the United States. Published in the same city as

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...

's earlier portrait of

in ''Knickerbocker's History of New York'', the poem may have directly inspired another New Yorker,

Clement Clarke Moore Clement Clarke Moore (July 15, 1779 – July 10, 1863) was an American writer, scholar and real estate developer. He is best known as author of the Christmas poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas." Moore was Professor of Oriental and Greek Literature ...

, to create the modern Santa in "

'Twas the Night before Christmas ''A Visit from St. Nicholas'', more commonly known as ''The Night Before Christmas'' and ''Twas the Night Before Christmas'' from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously under the title ''Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas'' ...

Development of the Santa Claus figure

Gilley's book includes some important elements in the early development of

: his connection with the northern winter, the reindeer and sleigh, and his arrival on

rather than on 6 December (the traditional

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context do ...

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Dem ...

). The accompanying engravings are the earliest images of a Santa figure. They show Santeclaus dressed in a red outfit and are the first reference to his being dressed in that color. Although red had been traditionally associated with bishop's robes, such as those that Saint Nicholas might have worn, the outfit shown is not that of a bishop, nor does it represent the old Dutch clothing of Saint Nicholas as described by

and

James Kirke Paulding James Kirke Paulding (August 22, 1778 – April 6, 1860) was an American writer and, for a time, the United States Secretary of the Navy. Paulding's early writings were satirical and violently anti-British, as shown in ''The Diverting History of ...

. Santeclaus brings presents only for "good" children, and in the first illustration they are explicitly called "rewards". "Naughty" children receive a "long, black, birchen rod" whose use for parental punishment is endorsed as a "command of God".

The poem

Gallery

File:The Children's friend. Number III. A New-Year's present, to the little ones from five to twelve. Part III (1821), page 3.jpg, Illustration to verse 3 File:The Children's friend. Number III. A New-Year's present, to the little ones from five to twelve. Part III (1821), pages 4 and 5.jpg, Illustration to verse 4 File:The Children's friend. Number III. A New-Year's present, to the little ones from five to twelve. Part III (1821), pages 4 and 5-2.jpg, Illustration to verse 5 File:The Children's friend. Number III. A New-Year's present, to the little ones from five to twelve. Part III (1821), page 6.jpg, Illustration to verse 6 File:The Children's friend. Number III. A New-Year's present, to the little ones from five to twelve. Part III (1821), page 7.jpg, Illustration to verse 7 File:The Children's friend. Number III. A New-Year's present, to the little ones from five to twelve. Part III (1821), page 8.jpg, Illustration to verse 8

References

External links