During the Civil War, artist Thomas Nast created a Yuletide first: a gift bearing Father Christmas visiting front-line troops, handing gifts out to soldiers and children. Nearly all the elements he included in that 1862 drawing of Santa continue to this day: his sleigh pulled by reindeer, a long white beard, a furry hat, collar and belt. Truly, the iconic American Santa. Thomas Nast's 1862 vision of a star-spangled Father Christmas embodied the spirit of a unified and prosperous nation in the face of the divisive Civil War.

What Dean Morrissey has so remarkably brought to full-color life is just how striking that star-spangled was and how timely the thought of a unified country can be. What could be better in the coming Christmas season than knowing Santa’s pulling for the red, whites and blue, too? This is the first in a series of paintings Morrissey will do on the history of Father Christmas.