Thomas Nast "A Christmas Sketch- 5 O'Clock in The Morning" -Original, 1878

An antique -1878- cartoon drawn by Thomas Nast, presumably from Harper's Weekly. The sketch is called "A Christmas Sketch- 5 O'clock in the Morning" and shows 2 young children looking on in wonder at their gifts, the shadows of which can be seen in the foreground. Note that there is some water damage on the lower left as in the pictures. The upper left has a crease which is not noticeable in the pictures. With the frame the piece is 19 1/4" tall and just over 15 1/4" wide; the frame is probably from the 1980s or 1990s. Thomas Nast was quite famous in his day, mostly for his political cartoons, but also delved into other areas (including Harper's Weekly). Our modern image of Santa Claus came directly from him and the US Republicans' elephant symbol was also his creation. He was a noted anti slavery advocate but, in a double standard typical of we humans, was virulently anti Irish and anti Catholic (despite having been raised Catholic).