Puck Christmas, 1900

Royalty Free

SS2628838

JA9492

Entitled: "Christmas number, 1900" chromolithograph showing a fashionably dressed young woman holding onto a Christmas tree as Puck chops it down with an axe. Puck was America's first successful humor magazine of colorful cartoons, caricatures and political satire of the issues of the day. It was published from 1871 until 1918. It was the first magazine to carry illustrated advertising and the first to successfully adopt full-color lithography printing for a weekly publication. In English folklore, Puck is a mischievous nature sprite, demon, or fairy. A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer such as spruce, pine, or fir associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tree was traditionally decorated with edibles such as apples, nuts, or other foods. In the 18th century, it began to be illuminated by candles which were ultimately replaced by Christmas lights after the advent of electrification. Illustrated by Frank Arthur Nankivell for Puck and published by Keppler & Schwarzmann, December 12, 1900.

Library of Congress / Science Source