1863: Detail from Thomas Nast’s illustration ‘A Christmas Furlough’ for the front page of a 1863 issue of Harper’s Weekly. Obviously crafted for the Union side of the American Civil War Conflict.
As time went by, more and more was added to the Santa Claus legend.
The cartoonist Thomas Nast established the bounds for Santa Claus’ current look with an initial illustration in an 1863 issue of Harper’s Weekly, as part of a large illustration titled “A Christmas Furlough”.
In later Nast drawings a home at the North Pole was added, as was the workshop for building toys and a large book filled with the names of children who had been naughty or nice.