victorianfanguide: ‘Old Father Christmas’ painted in the late…
‘Old Father Christmas’ painted in the late 19th century by William Ewart Lockhart. The figure of Father Christmas had been in existence in Britain since the late medieval period. Prior to the Victorian era Christmas had no particular association with children, and had instead been a time for adults to hold parties and feasts. Father Christmas was the personification of this time of making merry and was often depicted leading the revelry and surrounded by large amounts of food and drink. When the American Santa Claus (a figure created from several European traditions such as Sinterklaas and Christkind) arrived in Britain in the second half of the 19th century the two figures merged into one character. Father Christmas began to shed his previous partying image and, by the end of the Victorian period, was magically giving gifts to British children.
Reposted from http://ift.tt/1x1hpKb.
