Santa Comes to Town: New Acquisitions from the Museum Collection

This exhibition welcomes the holiday season with a spotlight on the enduring image of Santa Claus. The beloved “jolly old elf” took shape through the work of printmakers—most notably Thomas Nast, whose illustrations in Harper’s Weekly defined the modern vision of St. Nick.

Alongside Nast’s influential depictions, the exhibition features works by other American artists who captured holiday traditions through wood engravings, lithographs, and hand-colored prints. Together, these festive images evoke the magic of the season and the spirit of imagination that has made Santa a universal symbol of joy and generosity.

Drawn from a recent gift of 158 works by more than fifty American artists, these prints trace the evolution of Santa’s image in the popular press. In doing so, they reveal broader themes in American life—consumer culture, family, and national identity—through the lens of visual storytelling. As such, these works deepen our understanding of illustration as an expressive artform and powerful influence on our collective imagination.