etching
Hoyle’s image is a quirky and ebullient depiction of Santa Claus driving his present-laden sleigh through the night sky on Christmas Eve. In Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” (also known as “Twas the Night Before Christmas”), 8 reindeer are mentioned by name for the first time (try remembering them all after Christmas Day lunch!). Arguably the most famous reindeer, Rudolph, only arrived on the scene nearly a hundred years’ later in the 1939 story “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” by Robert L May.
A Merry Christmas from The Fry Art Gallery and we look forward to welcoming visitors again when our new season opens in May 2022.