"Thomas Nast Celebrates the Holidays," an exhibition of the collection of illustrations of Jay G. Williams '54, has opened at The Arts Center in Old Forge, NY, and will run through Feb. 6. The show presents pictures of Santa Claus and the celebration of Christmas by the 19th century cartoonist Thomas Nast. The illustrations were originally featured in Harper’s Weekly. Nast is credited with the first portrayal of a chubby Santa Claus and the invention of Santa's home at the North Pole. He also created the Republican elephant, and popularized the Democratic donkey.
Another exhibition of Nast's work called "Celebrating Christmas with Thomas Nast" is open at the Buffalo Club in Buffalo, NY.
Williams, the Walcott -Bartlett Professor of Religious Studies, graduated from Hamilton with degrees in English literature and philosophy. He went on to earn his master of divinity from Union Theological Seminary in 1957 and his doctor of philosophy from Columbia University in 1964.
