The Taft Museum of Art presents Once Upon a Time at Christmas an exhibition on view now through January 29, 2012.
The holiday season has long been a magical time for children. Clement C. Moore’s poem “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” (originally published in 1823) solidified the American tradition of Santa Claus. Nineteenth-century illustrations by Thomas Nast gave Santa Claus the image we still associate with the jolly old elf. This exhibition in the Sinton Gallery includes 13 antique illustrated editions of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas ranging from the 1850s through the 1920s as well as selected illustrations created by Nast for Harper’s publications depict nursery rhymes, scenes from childhood, and Santa himself. – www.taftmuseum.org