Santa Claus is a popular subject of Christmas postcards. The modern image of Santa Claus as a jolly, portly, white-bearded man in a red suit was not standardized until the 1920s, so many earlier postcard images show varying likenesses of the saint. Modern images of Santa combine elements of several earlier versions, including Clement Clarke Moore’s elf-like figure, Thomas Nast’s bearded, fur-clad toy-maker, and Haddon Sundblom’s (1930s illustrator for the Coca-Cola Company) jolly, red-suited icon.
by Mahoning Valley Historical Society | Dec 15, 2020