The Modern Santa Evolves

Norman Rockwell

In 1920, Norman Rockwell (1895 - 1978) brought us another vision when he created Santa for the Saturday Evening Post. Following the lead of Thomas Nast, the Rockwell Santa was a large, portly, and jolly. Also like Nast, most of Rockwell’s treatments of Christmas revolved around subjects other than Santa himself.

In addition, Rockwell created oil paintings of Santa for other Post covers on the following dates: Dec. 6, 1924; Dec. 4, 1926; Dec 3, 1927; Dec. 21, 1935, and Dec. 26, 1942. In total, Rockwell created eight Santa covers for the Post between 1916 and 1946. During that time, he had created 320 covers for the Post, including his annual Christmas covers.

It is interesting to note that several of Rockwell’s Santas had halos, more evocative of the Saint than the secular.

For a good overview, see Norman Rockwell’s Christmas Book (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1977) and A Norman Rockwell Christmas (New York: Metro Books, 2000).

Rockwell also created hundreds of other illustrations and paintings for companies around the world, including, in 1965, the Pepsi Santa. Although the Sundblom "Coke" Santa had been created annually for decades prior to Rockwell’s Pepsi Santa, Sundblom did not apparently influence Rockwell; the Pepsi Santa of 1965 was substantially the same as ones that he created from 1920 on. Ed. Note: I saw one of these Pepsi Santas in an antique store on Highway 54 between Jefferson City and Eldon, MO., on Dec. 3, 1999. The figure was about 5 feet tall.

Rockwell also created Santas for Western Union (1935-6) and Hallmark (1948 & 1975)

See Donald Stoltz and Marshall Stoltz, The Advertising World of Norman Rockwell (New York: Harrison House, 1985).

• Left, "Santa", Dec 4, 1920; 
• Middle, "Christmas: Santa with Elves," Dec. 2, 1922
• Right, "Extra Good Boys and Girls," Dec. 16, 1939

Extra Santas by Rockwell