Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Santa's Reindeer Out of Work (1900)


The December 22, 1900 Duluth Evening Herald (Duluth, MN) ran this illustration of the 20th Century Santa who, naturally, uses a flying machine. Those poor reindeer, now out of work, have been replaced by machines.
KRISS KRINGLE UP-TO-DATE

No old-fashioned reindeer for him - he skims over house tops in a flying machine.

Twentieth Century locomotion alone appeals to good St. Nicholas. Reindeer were all right for him a few years agone, but now he demand the swiftest of automobiles. There is something fine in this conception of the good old man making the rounds on the last Christmas of the century.

See also:
Latest Type of Flying Machine (1901)
Boy's Flying Machine of the 20th Century (1900)
Futuristic Air Travel (circa 1900)
Going to the Opera in the Year 2000 (1882)
Postcards Show the Year 2000 (circa 1900)
New London in the Future (1909)
Collier's Illustrated Future of 2001 (1901)
Flying Machines (circa 1885)
French Prints Show the Year 2000 (1910)
Pears Soap Flying Machine (1906)

2 comments:

Your Obedient Serpent said...

I rather wish that "Steampunk Santa" had caught on, and become the iconic archetype. That dirigible has a charm to rival eight tiny reindeer.

Allen's Brain said...

Sure, but imagine how long it would take him to deliver toys to everyone!