Is Santa Clauss red and white-colored suit really from a Coca Cola advertising campaign?
Santa Claus is traditionally represented in a red cloak with white fur trimmings, a reference to St Nicholas, who reputably performed his charitable acts dressed in his red bishop’s robes. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.
Santa Claus as we imagine him now originates with the (in)famous 19th century political cartoonist, Thomas Nast, who pictured Santa Claus in red and white. Nast’s Christmas saint had a slightly ragged, even sinister, edge to him, but he’s essentially who we have now – colors and all. Sources: http://tafkac.org/misc/santa_claus_origins.
The Coca Cola advertisements of the 1920’s and 30’s only helped solidify the portrayal of Santa in his red and white. There are illustrations from the early 1900’s that show him in red and white. http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=35 Sources: http://www.stnicholascenter.
I just saw a program on the Science Channel tonight about St. Nick., the actual saint. He was quite wealthy and would go out into the night and toss a bag of coins into the windows of people who were in need. His work was carried on by nuns who would leave bags of nuts and fruit on the door steps of needy people. He was portrayed as a normal looking person. Then Coca Cola designed their own version of St. Nick, an elf sized being wearing a red and white suit….
