Santa Claus is widely portrayed as a joyful plump old man with a burly white beard who wears a red suit with white fur-cuffed collars and boots. But before the Coca-Cola company painted this very image of Santa, the jolly gift-giver was often depicted in a variety of ways, one of which was a scary elf.
While it is true that Coca-Cola popularized the modern-day image of Santa as a tubby old man with a white beard through advertising, the color of his signature suit, red, actually predates their promotions. The legendary figure has appeared in red prior to Coca-Cola’s ads.
Before Santa became known as a friendly old man who went around giving gifts, he was once drawn with a bishop’s robe and at some point with a Norse huntsman’s animal skin. Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast also had several takes on the legendary figure, an elf-like figure among others. Through the years, Nast’s depiction evolved. From wearing a tan-colored coat, the man eventually donned the red suit that everyone recognizes today.
The political cartoonist and Louis Prang, who is often dubbed as…
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