Thomas Nast

Born: 1840 | Died: 1902

Illustrator and Caricaturist

Thomas Nast was born in Landau in the Palatinate region in 1840. He came to New York when he was just 6 years old, later he would go on to study at the National Academy of Design.

With the outbreak of the Civil War in America, he strongly supported the Union and started drawing themed cartoons stating his political opinion. Thomas Nast is said to have been one of the most powerful political cartoonists of his time in America.

Nast created the Republican Party Elephant, the Democrat Party Donkey and the caricature of Uncle Sam. He also became known as the first person to have depicted Santa Claus coming through the chimney. He lived in Morristown, NJ for more than 30 years of his life but he died in 1902 in Guayaquil, Ecuador after he had been appointed there consul general. In his hometown Landau, the annual Christmas market “Thomas Nast Nikolausmarkt” was named after him.

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