THe Many Faces of Santa Claus

The Many Faces of Santa Claus

Photographs by Todd Smith

Illustration, Todd Smith

The Many Faces of Santa Claus

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Photographs by Todd Smith

B

etween Thomas Nast, and the Coca Cola Company, the modern appearance of a legendary Christian Bishop, has pretty much been defined - a red suit with white puffy trimming, black boots, white beard and a jolly red face.

But this is America, where individual expression is practically a religion.

And so we have as many commercial versions of Santa Claus as there are individuals making them.

Some actually have artistic merit, others, not so much. This group of photographs reflects some of those diverse (and sometimes perverse) interpretations of Old St Nicholas.