History of the Christmas Tree
For those curious about it being an British-American tradition?
“A woodcut of the British Royal family with their Christmas tree at Windsor Castle, initially published in the Illustrated London News December 1848, was copied in the United States at Christmas 1850, in Godey’s Lady’s Book. Godey’s copied it exactly, except for the removal of the Queen’s tiara and Prince Albert’s mustache, to remake the engraving into an American scene.The republished Godey’s image became the first widely circulated picture of a decorated evergreen Christmas tree in America. Art historian Karal Ann Marling called Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, shorn of their royal trappings, “the first influential American Christmas tree”.Folk-culture historian Alfred Lewis Shoemaker states, “In all of America there was no more important medium in spreading the Christmas tree in the decade 1850-60 than Godey’s Lady’s Book”. The image was reprinted in 1860, and by the 1870s, putting up a Christmas tree had become common in America”
Via Wikipedia – you can also check the illustration they are referring to.
| « Calvin & Hobbes Snowman Scenes Brought to Life | When Life Gives You Amazon Boxes – Make a Christmas Tree » |
22 December 2011
3 Comments
great post!
Am I the only one who finds it funny that Disneyland switched from a real tree to an artificial tree for enviromental reasons?
I’m also glad the upside down tree fad didn’t last long.
Love the Bubble lights!
Not the aluminum trees,
miss the smell of a real tree but not the dropping needles.
CVS was selling a recreation of the Charlie Brown tree this year.
Cool post.
Happy Saturnalius!!!!