Santa Claus, David Scattergood, cover, A Visit from St. Nicholas 1860
Illustration of one of the earliest versions of “The Night Before Christmas”
In 1860, artist David Scattergood illustrated one of the earliest versions of “The Night Before Christmas” with Santa Claus rather than St. Nicholas. Although highly stylized, Scattergood’s Santa would not have looked out of place among the numerous versions of Santa that had appeared by the end of the century.