Sint Nikolaas en zijn Knecht
by Jan Schenkman, 1850. The Dutch traditions of today stem largely from a children’s book
Sint Nikolaas en zijn Knecht (Jan Schenkman, 1850). The Dutch traditions of today stem largely from a children’s book, Sint Nikolaas en zijn Knecht (St. Nicholas and his Servant”) written by Dutch school teacher Jan Schenkman in 1850. The book includes a dark-skinned servant that, although not named in the book, popularized Zwarte Piet (“Black Peter”).