Saturday, December 31, 2016

An 1872 Christmas, courtesy of The Little Corporal


Below: A Santa right out of Miracle on 34th St., only from 1872.  The poem is straight out of the progressive Christianity of the day.  I'm guessing the last stanza is Santa himself talking.... 




From the same issue, a comic book-style novelty ad--The Magnetic Fish.  Only 30 cents (actually, 30 cents was some money in 1872).  This predates the birth of Johnson Smith.



Magic Hoops!  "The exercise is so light that the most delicate ladies can excel in the game with pleasure."  Well, that's good to know, especially when the weather becomes too cold for croquet.  And dig the manufacturer: Milton Bradley & Co.!


An 1872 Christmas tree,  property of Bessie.



I'd set these aside to post and forgot all about them until now, with a whole hour and six minutes to go until... 2017. (Bells, party sounds, "Auld Lang Syne," balloons everywhere, cheering.)


Lee

3 comments:

Aging Child said...

Merry New Year, Lee (and Bev and catherd)!

Thank you for the look at your office (previous post), and for sharing with your readers the fresh earcandy from your Christmas present... plus a rundown on some of how you get your results.

Thanks, too, for the illustrations! I agree re "Miracle on 34th Street"... but '72 Santa also looks every bit the Thomas Nast by way of John Tenniel (e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tenniel#/media/File:A_Christmas_Puzzle,_Punch,_Dec_1895.jpg).

Always bringing us the spirit of Christmas past... cheers, sir!

Kind regards,
A. Gene Childe

IgnacioEsteban said...

Gracias por todo, felicidades a ti y tus amados familiares!

Geordie said...

I just sang the 1872 Santa poem in my head, to the tune of Blessed Assurance.... (The things we do in the middle of the night [shakes head].)

Anyways, Happy New Year, and thanks for all the music.