Christmas Eve (published "Harper's Weekly," January 3, 1863)
originally published 1863
Medium
Relief print and electrotype
Dimensions
Image: 13 9/16 × 20 1/2 in. (34.4 × 52 cm) Sheet: 17 1/16 × 23 9/16 in. (43.4 × 59.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Thomas Nast Jr., Mabel Nast Crawford and Cyril Nast, 1933
Accession Number
33.35.26
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Christmas Eve** by Thomas Nast, published in *Harper's Weekly* January 3, 1863, captures a tender moment amid the American Civil War. As one of the era's most influential illustrators, Nast pioneered the political cartoon, blending sharp social commentary with emotive storytelling. This relief print and electrotype, measuring about 13½ by 20½ inches, depicts soldiers, children, men, and women in repose—evoking the hush of Christmas Eve with themes of sleep, longing, and familial bonds fractured by conflict. Created during the war's brutal second year, the image humanizes the soldiers' pligh...
About the Artist
Thomas Nast · 1840–1902
Thomas Nast (1840–1902) was the most powerful political cartoonist in American history, an artist whose images shaped public opinion, toppled corrupt politicians, and gave enduring visual form to some of the most cherished symbols of American popular culture. Born in Landau, Germany, he emigrated with his family to New York as a child and received his artistic training at the National Academy of D...