The Santa Claus made famous by wood block engraver Thomas Nast came alive for a group of 6th graders from Clinton's St. Mary's School and residents of Alterra Village on December 14. The two groups were treated to a lecture by Hamilton College Professor Jay Williams, who collects wood block engravings by Nast and is curator of an exhibition of Nast's Santas at the Emerson Gallery.
The 6th graders, along with their teacher, Anne Wiley, and the residents of the Alterra retirement living community, heard Williams chronicle the development of Nast's Santas. He pointed out engravings of Santa without a beard, then holding a glass of wine, then eventually the jolly Santa that we know now. "No one knew what Santa Claus looked like until Nast drew him," Williams said.
The exhibit at the Emerson continues through December 21.
