Why Santa's clothes are red

There are some things we automatically connect with Santas: A large boat, a bag full of gifts, an army of deer, and above all a red and white wool suit. Clothes are popular for vacations, from store windows to advertising, and others. But while this is a close look at Christmas, this was not always the style of the dressed character.

When Saint Nicholas ( Santa Claus) first appeared in the United States, wearing religious clothing. The earliest known image of character in the country, commissioned by the founder of the New York Historical Society, John Pintard in 1810, shows him in church clothes, weak and hairless, which is far from the next image. St. Nicholas's image moved with the publication of New York's History, founded by Washington's Clement Clarke Moore, who presented the character more as a friendly, popular businessman and opening packages.

Although Moore's version would form character for decades, the color of his dress was not specified, leading artists to do it in extensive clothing, working class clothing. This should be a painting of 1838 by Robert Walter Weir, with a three-point hat. When the color of his clothing appears, it was usually brown or a shade of it.

But, starting in 1863, illustrator Thomas Nast began drawing the character for Harper's Weekly, with its known round shape, plus fur coat and night cover. The magazine's great circulation and popularity of these illustrations (published every Christmas for more than 20 years) helped to make Nast's version defined. The full-colored illustrations of character on Harper's cover presented the red suit and set the pattern for decades.

But the red suit did not become St. Nicholas's immediate image, because Nast himself was not in line with this idea. (He drew Santa in green at least once. )

Cards in the second half of the 19th century show character in gold, green, and all varieties of other colors. But in time, red became the common color, as other illustrators, such as Norman Rockwell, described character throughout 1910 and 1920, and shops and brands used red - colored character in their ads. In the 1930s, Swedish artist Haddon Sunblom illustrated the character for Coca-Cola's massive promotional campaign and put the final touch on character.

Despite popular myth, the Coca-Cola company did not invent anything about character, but this led to this specific white and red version being defined. The same appropriate red character, with a black belt, will be used in company advertising for three decades, helping to close it as a final view.