Written and © by Jarno Tarkoma

Nast, Thomas

A newspaper artist who painted in 1870 the definitive first portrait of Santa Claus.

Thomas Nast (1840-1902) was America's best political newspaper cartoonist drawing for Harper's Weekly. Once a year he made a special picture for Harper's Christmas issue. These drawings were the basis for his 1890 book "Christmas Drawings for the Human Race". And this book is the foundation of our Santa Claus knowledge. He captured the round-bellied, white-bearded Santa of Clement Moore in his drawings and made him real and living.


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