Thomas Nast and Santa Claus go together. More on their relationship shortly. But first, who was Thomas Nast?

Thanks largely to Thomas Nast, the political cartoon is an art form. Even if you don’t look at them regularly, you know the style. Most feature recognizable caricatures of public figures along with short text. The actions of the figures, combined with their portrayal, attempt to point out something good, bad, or ridiculous involving the political figure. Nast wasn’t the first to draw political cartoons. But he was among the best.

He was a German immigrant who arrived in the US in the 1840s. An indifferent student but a superb artist, it didn’t take long for people to see his genius. He worked for several of the influential national publications of the day. These included Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper and Harper’s Weekly. But Nast’s true importance became apparent when the southern states started the Civil War in 1861.

Nast supported the Union and hated slavery. His illustrations on the importance of the war and the Emancipation Proclamation were brilliant. So much so that Abraham Lincoln labeled Nast his best recruiting agent.

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Creating and Using Symbols

Nast’s fame and importance only grew in the decade after the war. He despised the treatment of African Americans during Reconstruction in the South. But it was his depictions of Boss William Tweed of New York City’s Tammany Hall that won him continuing renown. His 1871 cartoon of Tweed and other New York politicians as vultures picking at the carcass of New York City eventually helped bring Tweed down. According to rumor, Tweed offered Nast a bribe of $500,000 to stop. This was about 100 times Nast’s salary!

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Nast also gets credit for creating the symbol of the Republican Party, the elephant. He didn’t create the donkey as the symbol of the Democratic Party or Uncle Sam. Nast did help make those symbols more popular and enduring, however. Because of his great ability to provide political commentary through his art, Nast also had an important influence on several elections in the US.

Thomas Nast and Santa Claus

Okay, you’re asking, what does this have to do with a bearded guy at the North Pole? Well, apparently, Nast gets a great deal of credit for creating this image of Santa Claus. The red suit, beard, jolly laugh, and all the rest had to come from somewhere. Nast created the image of the kindly toymaker to whom children could appeal for gifts during the holidays. His portrayals called on German traditions, but Nast transformed those traditions into the Santa Claus we recognize today.

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For all Nast’s brilliance, however, his end was somewhat tragic. After leaving Harper’s Weekly in 1886, his investments went sour and his family became nearly destitute. Teddy Roosevelt appointed Nast consul general to Ecuador in 1902. Sadly, Nast arrived during a yellow fever outbreak, caught the fever himself, and died. Considering his brilliance and influence, Nast probably deserved better. But we’ll forever remember Thomas Nast and Santa Claus linked in popular portrayals of the holidays.

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