Profiles in History: Haddon Sundblom: The Artist Who Gave Us the Modern Santa Claus

Profiles in History: Haddon Sundblom: The Artist Who Gave Us the Modern Santa Claus
The image of Santa Claus created by Haddon Sundblom has been popular for decades. Olga Popova/Shutterstock
Dustin Bass
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From purple robes to fur coats to wreath hats to a very thin frame, there have been many features that Americans would hardly attribute to Santa Claus. Drawing on past inspirations, however, illustrator Haddon Sundblom created a version that has stuck for nearly a century.

Sundblom was the youngest of 10 children born to Scandinavian immigrants. At 13, the family moved from Muskegon, Michigan, to Chicago, where he would eventually attend the Art Institute of Chicago and the American Academy of Art. His skill in drawing and painting earned him an apprenticeship at the age of 21 with the prominent Chicago-based illustration firm Charles Everett Johnson Studios. Four years later, he and two colleagues began their own illustration advertising agency.

Dustin Bass
Dustin Bass
Author
Dustin Bass is the creator and host of the American Tales podcast, and co-founder of The Sons of History. He writes two weekly series for The Epoch Times: Profiles in History and This Week in History. He is also an author.
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