Santas
These early Santa's were made of paper mache, with clothing of wool felt that was
vegetable dyed. Some had mica on their coat and hood which simulates snow. A number
of them are candy containers and separate at the waist, revealing a cardboard cylinder
in which the candies were placed. In addition, sometimes the Santa would carry a bag
or hold a tree with early glass ornaments.
The one photo shows Santa riding on an early white bear with a leather muzzle. The bear
has a nodding head with a counterbalance weight inside it; at this time in Germany the
animals with muzzles were very popular. Santa has an unusual hip length coat and holds
part of an early feather tree with a piece of an old candle holder and carries a bag.
He dates from around 1905-1907. On his left side is a "transportation Santa" figure.
He is in a sleigh and holds a feather tree. Candy or early toys could be placed in the
back of the sleigh. These types of Santas were popular around the time of early development of the automobiles.
The closeup of the Santa face embodies all the details of the beauty of the paper
mache face and artistry of the German masters. He has a long wool felt cap and goat beard.
He has a short coat and his clothes are vegetable dyed. Note the details of the eyebrows and
all the painting around the eyes. He is pictured with a popular paper mache and wood sheep from
Germany. He dates from around 1912-19.
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