Time to Survey Christmas Greetings

Well, here we are–the day after Christmas. 

If you are like me you are sitting among the remnants of the holiday–a trash bag in the corner full of wrapping paper scraps, a bit of ribbon here and there on the floor, empty boxes everywhere, a stack of new treasures one of the kids left under the tree, and tons of leftovers and dirty dishes.

There was so much to do before Christmas Eve and now there’s so much to do to get ready to celebrate the New Year, but for right now–for right this minute–it can all wait. Finally, I can take a few minutes, sit by the tree and look through the stack of Christmas cards we received this year. It’s always interesting to look at the various cards. Some are very religious, some are humorous, some sport rather modern artwork while others are more traditional. Some cards stick to versions of Santa while other cards use other symbols of Christmas such as holly, ornaments, or the Christmas tree. Some say Merry Christmas, some say Happy Holidays and many add in “and a Happy New Year” as well.

Thumbing through the Christmas cards has always been a little tradition of mine since I was a little girl. I was really into all the places Mom and Dad’s cards were mailed from, and Mom had a great time explaining who all the people were and how we knew them. She sent so many cards and always received over one hundred even on the slow years.

So with my love of Christmas cards I guess it wouldn’t be a surprise if you discovered I’ve been writing about the official White House Christmas card since 2006 at my weblog, History Is Elementary and a blog I contribute to from time to time–American Presidents Blog.

I’ve enjoyed the process of learning about the cards, and thought I would share some of them with you.

The official practice of sending a White House Christmas card can be traced back to the administration of Calvin Coolidge in 1927. The practice was so successful President Coolidge finally had an image of the card printed in the newspapers so more people could see it. By 1931, President Hoover was sending personal photos to family, friends and staff. President Franklin D. Roosevelt continued to send cards through the Great Depression and World War II, followed by Truman and Eisenhower. 

The older cards are very collectable. In 1998, one of the Kennedy White House Christmas cards sold at auction for $11,000. It is reported that the card was one of approximately 30 cards signed by President Kennedy and his wife before they left for Dallas in November, 1963. While those cards are very precious indeed because there were only a certain number and the circumstances were extraordinary other cards can fetch a good price. I once saw an Eisenhower card from 1960 sell as high as $995 on an auction site.

While the cost of sending the cards is handled by the President’s political party many of the cards through the years have been printed by the Hallmark Company. They donated their extensive collection of Presidential Christmas Cards to the National Museum of American History, a part of the Smithsonian Institution.

One of the Nixon cards has a little mystery behind it, and since the artwork was created by N.C. Wyeth I thought you might be interested. N.C. Wyeth is the father of Andrew Wyeth, an accomplished artist in his own right.  I wrote about Andrew Wyeth since the Douglas County Public Library owns one of his prints.  It’s also interesting to know that Jamie Wyeth, N.C.’s grandson and Andrew’s son, designed the White House card for the Reagan administration in 1984.

The card I featured with this column is taken from a painting N.C. Wyeth created. You see President Washington and White House architect, James Hoban, inspecting the uncompleted White House in 1798. Though Washington never lived in the mansion he did oversee the construction and Hoban also resided on the grounds during construction with his wife, ten children, and nine slaves in a red brick house. 

The Pennsylvania Railroad commissioned Wyeth to create the work of art in 1930, so they could use it as a patriotic poster. The second purpose for Wyeth’s image came about in 1971, some twenty-six years after the artist’s tragic death during a train crossing accident. President Nixon along with his wife Pat, chose Wyeth’s image for their official White House Christmas card.

This is one of my favorite White House card images because it’s different compared to other cards. I love the big billowy clouds, and just the overall painting style makes me pause and take notice. Compare this image to other N.C. Wyeth paintings seen here and here. Wyeth had quite a career creating illustrations for children’s books and magazines such as Scribners.

Now here’s where the mystery comes in–

This article from 2000 and this article from 2009 provide other reasons why the Wyeth painting is so interesting and discusses how the painting provides a unique view of President Washington in front of the White House as it is being constructed.

Estimates from those in the art world indicate the original painting could be worth as much as one million dollars, but the painting’s whereabouts is unknown.

In the article White House curator Betty Monkman states, “We are trying to contact various people and getting various leads, but so far nothing has turned up.”

“(N.C. Wyeth) is the only famous artist that has painted a picture of the White House under construction,” said Hugh Sidney, a retired Time magazine Washington correspondent and now the president of the White House Historical Association. We would like to know where the [the picture] is….and ultimately we would like to buy it and include it in the White House collection.”

While the artwork was used by the Pennsylvania Railroad in a series of posters titled “Building the Nation”, it is generally agreed upon that the original painting hung in the railroad’s offices. The articles goes on to advise Pennsylvania Railroad was one of the first modern corporations, and was the largest companies in the United States until World War I.

Researchers have found where the painting was listed in an inventory of holdings when the railroad was reorganized. At that time the painting was listed as “having minor surface damage.”

Theories include the fact that someone who worked for the railroad took the painting home or it could have been given to someone as a retirement gift.  

Can you imagine someone having this in their home and not realizing what they have?

Another possible theory has to do with a tragic fire where many of N.C. Wyeth’s original works of art were destroyed. Many of these originals were owned by Scribners and at some point their storage site burned.  Did the White House painting make its way into that collection at some point?

We may never know for sure.

Please enjoy looking at the other cards I’ve posted with explanations regarding which administration sent them, and this link provides images of other White House Christmas cards through the years.

I’m going to get up from here and get this place ready for our next celebration. 

I hope everyone who stops by here each week to visit with me for a few minutes has a very Happy New Year!!!