Santeclaus in sleigh by Arthur Stansbury, The Children’s Friend, 1821
Arthur Stansbury created the most influential depiction of Santa that no one ever saw
In an 1821 children’s book called The Children’s Friend, Vol. III, artist Arthur Stansbury created the most influential depiction of Santa that no one ever saw (or hardly anyone). Only two copies survive, and the existence of the book was unknown until it was discovered in the mid-1900s by the American Antiquarian Society.