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The Night Before Christmas
6C Clement C. Moore. Father Tuck’s Nursery Tales Series. London: Raphael Tuck & Sons, 1898.
Notes
Originally published anonymously in 1823 as A Visit from St. Nicholas, Clement Clarke Moore's immortal poem is the foundational pillar of modern Christmas mythology. Moore's text fundamentally shifted the cultural image of Santa Claus away from a stern, ascetic bishop toward a jolly, rotund, elf-like figure of pure warmth and generosity, permanently transforming the holiday into a child-centered celebration of family sanctuary and domestic magic.
While Clement C. Moore wrote the text as a simple, private festive gift for his own children, this late 19th-century Raphael Tuck printing captures the historical moment the visual iconography of Christmas was reaching its zenith. In this edition, the four full-page chromolithographs—titled "Bringing in the Holly,""Hanging up their Stockings," "The way in!" and "Filling the Stockings"—bridge old-world European traditions with modern luxuries. The illustrations showcase a deeply nostalgic, wealthy Victorian household complete with ornate fireplaces, heavy drapery, and children in classic period dress. By rendering the poem with such intense, festive domesticity, the volume highlights how the late-Victorian era successfully commercialized and romanticized Christmas, establishing the exact cozy aesthetic that modern readers still associate with the holiday.
Because this book leaves its publication date unstated, it occupies a fascinating place in the history of fine-art printing. Founded in London by Raphael Tuck in 1866, the firm was awarded the Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria and became the world's most dominant publisher of postcards, greeting cards, and illustrated toy books. This specific Father Tuck's Nursery Tales Series volume (No. 1744) highlights their pioneering, trademarked work in chromolithography. The production was designed at their elite studios in London and sent to Germany to utilize the world's most advanced, multi-layered color lithographic presses. Because these delicate, staple-bound paper wrappers were intended for rigorous nursery use, they were highly susceptible to spine splits, heavy edge chipping, and cover detachment. Today, an intact copy of No. 1744 with clean, bright plates is an exceptionally scarce testament to the golden age of Victorian color printing
Description
Bound in the publisher's original stiff, bright chromolithographed pictorial covers featuring a classic Victorian Santa Claus in a green sleigh flying over a rooftop outfitted with a modern telegraph wire. Illustrated with 4 full-page, vibrant chromolithograph plates and multiple in-text sepia-toned vignettes.
$103.25
Original: $295.00
-65%The Night Before Christmas—
$295.00
$103.25
Description
6C Clement C. Moore. Father Tuck’s Nursery Tales Series. London: Raphael Tuck & Sons, 1898.
Notes
Originally published anonymously in 1823 as A Visit from St. Nicholas, Clement Clarke Moore's immortal poem is the foundational pillar of modern Christmas mythology. Moore's text fundamentally shifted the cultural image of Santa Claus away from a stern, ascetic bishop toward a jolly, rotund, elf-like figure of pure warmth and generosity, permanently transforming the holiday into a child-centered celebration of family sanctuary and domestic magic.
While Clement C. Moore wrote the text as a simple, private festive gift for his own children, this late 19th-century Raphael Tuck printing captures the historical moment the visual iconography of Christmas was reaching its zenith. In this edition, the four full-page chromolithographs—titled "Bringing in the Holly,""Hanging up their Stockings," "The way in!" and "Filling the Stockings"—bridge old-world European traditions with modern luxuries. The illustrations showcase a deeply nostalgic, wealthy Victorian household complete with ornate fireplaces, heavy drapery, and children in classic period dress. By rendering the poem with such intense, festive domesticity, the volume highlights how the late-Victorian era successfully commercialized and romanticized Christmas, establishing the exact cozy aesthetic that modern readers still associate with the holiday.
Because this book leaves its publication date unstated, it occupies a fascinating place in the history of fine-art printing. Founded in London by Raphael Tuck in 1866, the firm was awarded the Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria and became the world's most dominant publisher of postcards, greeting cards, and illustrated toy books. This specific Father Tuck's Nursery Tales Series volume (No. 1744) highlights their pioneering, trademarked work in chromolithography. The production was designed at their elite studios in London and sent to Germany to utilize the world's most advanced, multi-layered color lithographic presses. Because these delicate, staple-bound paper wrappers were intended for rigorous nursery use, they were highly susceptible to spine splits, heavy edge chipping, and cover detachment. Today, an intact copy of No. 1744 with clean, bright plates is an exceptionally scarce testament to the golden age of Victorian color printing
Description
Bound in the publisher's original stiff, bright chromolithographed pictorial covers featuring a classic Victorian Santa Claus in a green sleigh flying over a rooftop outfitted with a modern telegraph wire. Illustrated with 4 full-page, vibrant chromolithograph plates and multiple in-text sepia-toned vignettes.
