Modern Santa Claus image is a mixture of many traditions
Published 8:32 am Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Santa Claus has changed in appearance throughout the centuries. He is now a mixture of the Dutch, German, Scandinavian, British and American characters that have represented Christmas.
The earliest Santa-like figure was St. Nicholas of Myra, a 4th-century Greek bishop. He was pictured as a thin bishop in religious clothing.
The bearded Norse god Odin also influenced the Santa Claus image by the 13th century. He led a hunting party in the sky while riding an eight-legged horse. The Dutch had St. Nicholas, or Sinterklaas, by the 16th century. He rode into town on a steamboat in November and carried a book that told which children were good and which were naughty.
Then in December, the elderly tall man with white hair and beard and a long red cape rode a horse in the sky and delivered gifts through the chimney.
Santa got shorter by the 1840s in Scandinavia. He was a bearded elf dressed in a gray outfit with a red hat. The Scandinavians also have a tradition of the “Yule Goat” that pulled a sleigh through the sky. It came from the story of Thor, a Norse god. The goat is now a life-size Christmas figure made of straw.
Father Christmas, in 17th-century Britain, was a chubby, jolly, bearded man dressed in a green fur-lined robe.
But in America, Santa Claus has been inspired by the figure described in the 1823 poem, “The Night Before Christmas,” which describes St. Nick as plump and jolly but also as a small elf that could slide down a chimney.
By 1863, Thomas Nast, a cartoonist, had pictured Santa as a large, heavy-set man with a beard. The Coca-Cola ads in the 1930s feature the Santa best known today, the jolly man with a beard and fur-trimmed red suit. All of the Santas gave gifts to children, and most could ride in the sky.
A rare tin Santa toy made in the 19th century sold recently for $161,000. It shows Santa in a sleigh drawn by goats. The first one found made experts wonder if it was all original — because goats, not reindeer, are pulling the sleigh. Two more of the clockwork toys are now known, however, proving that the expensive toy is original.
Perhaps the maker was familiar with the tradition of the Yule Goat.
Q: I have a set of four winking Santa mugs from 1960 with an “H.H.” logo on the bottom. I’d like to know who made them and if they’re worth anything.
A: Your winking Santa mugs were made by Holt-Howard Co., an importing company that started working in New York City in 1949 and moved to Stamford, Conn., in 1955.
The company sold candleholders, condiment jars, decanters, spoon holders, saltshakers and other table accessories. It was bought out by General Housewares Corp. in 1969. Holt-Howard pieces often are stamped in black with “Holt-Howard” or “HH” and the year of manufacture. The “HH” mark was used until 1974.
Production of Holt-Howard pieces ceased in 1990. Your mugs, if in perfect condition, are worth $5 to $6 each.
Q: My wooden hobby horse was given to me for Christmas when I was a child in the mid 1940s. The horse’s body has two large springs that move the legs as a child scoots the horse along the floor. A wooden piece on the back of the horse says, “Bingo the Bronco (patented) from Tots Toys, Milwaukee 5, Wisconsin, U.S.A.” Can you tell me anything about the horse?
A: We found the patent for your horse. It was granted on July 27, 1943, to Jack F. Fleming of Milwaukee and was assigned to Walter A. Hartwig, also of Milwaukee. The patent number is 2,325,496. Another clue to your toy’s age is the “5” after “Milwaukee” on the label.
One- and two-digit postal zones were introduced in 1943. It was marketed as “Bingo the Bronco” and as “Peppy the Pinto.” A Bingo horse like yours auctioned for $75 last year.
Write to Terry Kovel, (The Herald), King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.
&Copy; 2011, Cowles Syndicate Inc.
On the block
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
• Jack &Jill magazine, December 1967, Santa Claus and Raggedy Ann on cover, $15.
• Arrow Shirts magazine ad, Santa in red long johns holding shirt and tie, “Ah! Now It’s My Turn,” matted and mounted, 1952, 10 x 14 inches, $45.
• Royal Copenhagen Christmas plate, “Blackbird at Christmas Time,” blue and white, 1966, 7 inches, $55.
• Lady Head Christmas girl vase, white fur collar and hat with red trim, holding gift in hands, Napco, 1956, 6 inches, $80.
• Snowman candy container, round ball cut on diagonal, red seed nose, top hat, big bowtie, Germany, 1940s, 4 inches, $110.
• Silver-plated wine-bottle pourer, cable handle, attached collar goes over bottle, late 1800s, 11 1/2 inches, $150.
• Coca-Cola toy delivery truck, tractor-trailer, metal cab, plastic trailer, “Drink Coca-Cola” and “It’s the Real Thing, Coke,” 1960s, 11 inches, $155.
• Steiff shepherd doll, rubber head, felt body, white fluffy eyebrows, mustache and beard, felt vest, cape, pants and hat, holding shovel, original tag, 1958, 13 3/4 inches, $225.
• “A Merry Christmas” linenette banner, green ground, red, white and black letters, mistletoe-and-holly background, Saalfield Publishing, Akron, Ohio, 1907 copyright, 4 x 48 inches, $245.
• Regency-style Wellington desk, mahogany, fitted interior, two drop-leaf work surfaces, seven drawers, turned feet, Howard &Sons, London, 1800s, 50 1/2 x 29 3/4 inches, $955.
