 The exhibit will consist of 13 Santa Claus figures of various sizes
from around the world, depicting him from the 18th century to the
American Depression era, including the famous Soda Pop Santa Claus
upon which most modern depictions of St. Nick are based. The Santa
figures of various sizes are being loaned from the collection of
John D. and Joyce Bender Shmale.Meanwhile, an essay contest with
the theme "If I Were Santa Claus" concludes this week for students
in fifth grade through high school. Cash prizes will be awarded to
the winners.
Figures representing St. Nicholas and Black Peter will be part of
the exhibit. In 245 A.D. a man named Nicholas was born to wealthy
parents in what is now Turkey. He distributed his wealth to the
needy, and because of his good deeds Nicholas was given sainthood.
In his honor, 12th-century French nuns began making annual nighttime
visits to poor families, leaving gifts of fruit and nuts on Dec. 5
-- St. Nicholas Eve. In some lore, St. Nicholas was accompanied by a
devilish servant named Black Peter, who punished naughty children
but was forced to reward the good.
Though the story of St. Nicholas was well known during the 12th
century, his image varied a great deal among European and Asian
cultures, and these will be represented in the exhibit. Typically he
was shown as traveling on foot from house to house with gifts on his
back, sometimes in the company of gnomes. During the Middle Ages,
St. Nicholas was depicted with a dark beard. After the 1300s, the
Medieval Santa began to be portrayed with a white beard. The
Mongolian Santa may have grown out of a combination of the Mongolian
celebration of Herdsman's Day, which held some similarities to
modern Christmas, and the Christian ideals introduced to Asia by
Marco Polo during his travels.
The Christkindt, or Christ Child, was influenced by the
Reformation of the 1500s. In an effort to break with the Catholic
tradition of St. Nicholas, Martin Luther urged that the Christ Child
should instead be the bearer of gifts. Christkindt later became Kris
Kringle of the Pennsylvania Dutch custom. Assuming the appearance of
St. Nicholas, Kris Kringle is still popular today, and a Kringle
figure will be part of the exhibit.
Additional European depictions of Santa will be represented. Der
Belsnickel, of German lore, was often represented as wearing a mask
and bearing both gifts for the good children and a bundle of
switches to scare the bad. The Star Man, or Swiety Nikotaj, of
Polish tradition is a more spiritual version of Santa Claus. He
travels to the homes of children and quizzes them on their religious
knowledge before handing out gifts. Father Ice, or Dedt Moroz, of
ancient Russian origin, rewards kind children with gifts and
punishes the misbehaved by turning them to ice. His long white beard
and sleigh led to his association with Christmas.
In 1822 Clement Moore, a theology professor and an expert in
European folklore, wrote a poem for his children with a description
of St. Nicholas as a fur-dressed elf riding across rooftops in a
sleigh pulled by eight tiny reindeer. "An Account of a Visit from
St. Nicholas" was published in 1823 and became a worldwide success,
known today as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas."
[to top of second column] |
 Influenced by Moore's poem, 1860s cartoonist Thomas Nast drew
several versions of Santa featured in the national newspaper
Harper's Weekly. Nast strongly supported Abraham Lincoln during the
Civil War and looked for an image that embodied goodness,
righteousness and the spirit of giving, especially to the Union
troops far from home on Christmas. These drawings have inspired the
universal image Santa Claus enjoys today. A "Nast Santa" figure may
be seen in the exhibit, and a live actor portraying the Thomas Nast
Santa will appear periodically in the museum for photographs with
visitors.
In the 1930s, the Coca Cola Co. hired illustrator Haddon Sunblum
to create a Christmas advertisement for the company. Sunblum
designed the Santa Claus that we recognize today -- bushy white
beard, rosy cheeks, red and white suit, fat and jolly, with a spirit
of warmth, joy and giving. A representation of Sunblum's creation,
the Soda Pop Santa, will be easily recognizable in the exhibit.
The essay contest with the "If I Were Santa Claus" theme
continues through Friday, the same day the Santa exhibit opens. The
contest is for fifth through eighth grade students in one category
and high school students in another category and will include cash
prizes of $500, $250, $100, $50 and $25. The 200-250-word entries
must be postmarked before Nov. 2. The entries may be handwritten or
typed, and parents are encouraged to become involved in this
learning experience with their children. Entries must be submitted
by U.S. mail to: Santa Claus Essay Contest, Abraham Lincoln
Presidential Library, 112 N. Sixth St., Springfield, IL 62701.
Entrants should include their grade level and contact information.
The essay contest winners will be announced the week of
Thanksgiving, and the winning entries will be displayed in the
Lincoln Presidential Library, across the street from the historic
Santa Claus exhibit in the museum.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, the state's chief
historical and genealogical research institution, is open free of
charge on weekdays for research and seven days a week to view the
popular Civil War exhibit "Boys in Blue." The presidential museum
requires paid admission and features exhibits and shows that immerse
visitors in Lincoln's life and times. The museum is open seven days
a week except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's
Day. For more information, visit
www.presidentlincoln.org.
[Text from
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
and Museum
file received from the
Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency]
 |
