Santa Claus and His Presents (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. II)
Original title: Santa Claus and His Presents (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. II)
kurzbeschreibung
Winslow Homer's wood engraving from 1858 sets two Christmas scenes side by side on a single sheet: indoors, Santa Claus hands out presents, while outside people dressed for winter make their way along the street. Harper's Weekly published the illustration on December 25, 1858.
Description
An interior fills the upper half, and at its middle stands Santa Claus in a red jacket and cap, gifts in his hands. To the left a sleeper lies in bed; to the right two women stand with presents, while a clock, a lamp and the furniture divide up the room. Below, a street view opens out with several figures in winter clothing and hats, carrying parcels or bags. A house with a lit window and a street lamp close off the distance.
Context
Homer made the print for the Christmas issue of Harper's Weekly, a widely read American magazine for which he worked as a freelance illustrator during the 1850s. No fixed idea of Santa Claus existed at the time; with this design Homer helped shape the figure.
Impact
The two-part layout places the intimacy of the holiday at home next to the public bustle of the street. Crisp outlines and a calm arrangement of the scenes produce a cheerful festive mood and draw the eye into the Christmas world of the Victorian era.
Technique
The image was produced as a wood engraving, a relief process in which the design is cut into a wood block and then printed. Hatching and thin lines yield graded tones of grey, as was customary for nineteenth-century magazine illustration. The image measures 14.6 x 23.2 cm, the sheet 40.6 x 28 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)