At the beginning of this month, I had the special opportunity to partake in one of Purdue University’s most beloved traditions, Purdue Memorial Union’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. As representatives of the Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, Jo Otremba and I accompanied donor Judy Nixon, as we showcased her collection of The Night Before Christmas books.
The Judy Nixon Christmas Collection comprises an exceedingly eclectic variety of Night Before Christmas books, as well as other Christmas related publications. The titles span from the 1840s to the 2010s, covering over a century and a half of Santa Claus myth and lore. Judy collected them over five decades and has progressively began donating them to the Purdue University Archives and Special Collections.
Jo and I selected several titles, my favorites being Thomas Nast’s 1869 Visit of St. Nicholas, Denslow’s Night Before Christmas by W.W. Denslow, original illustrator of the Wizard of Oz books, Barbara Raheb’s miniature book version of The Night Before Christmas, and Eloise illustrator, Hilary Knight’s version of The Night Before Christmas. We could have easily added more.
It was a pleasure meeting Judy. If you ever had a question about the history of Santa Claus and his cementation as a pop-culture icon, she is the person to ask. She’ll know the answer and she’ll share with great enthusiasm. It’s striking how many fascinating research topics you could pursue with the Judy Nixon Christmas collection. As mentioned, the study of how Santa Claus has been depicted throughout the years can easily be done by tracing his early depiction in T.C. Boyd’s 1848 A Visit from St. Nicholas to Thomas Nast’s various illustrations from the 1860s. Research into the careers of significant American illustrators, cartoonists, and artists such as Arthur Rackham, W.W. Denslow, Hilary Knight, Grandma Moses, Walter Wick, and again, Nast is exceedingly possible. Also, researchers interested in the history of children’s book publishing in the United States would not need to look hard to find relevant primary sources. The collection is only a catalog search away.
Wayne's Wonder-Room 