So Who Knows For Sure?

Santa Christmas Pictures - When did they start? - Who was the first to offer them? I thought this would be a fun holiday piece for our portrait photog friends out there and so I started a little research a few days ago. Unfortunately, so far I'm stumped. My research did uncover-- that in 1841, J.W. Parkinson, a Philadelphia merchant, hired a man to dress up in a "Criscringle" outfit and climb the chimney of his store. The Parkinson's department store in Brockton, Massachusetts, became the father of department Santa's when it hired Edgar, a Scottish immigrant, who was tall, roly-poly, with a genuine white beard, a warm, comforting voice and a hearty laugh, to be Santa Claus." That was in 1841, way before cameras.

It was forty more years before the concept really caught on, but that takes us to 1881 and Mr. Eastman had not yet invented his Kodak camera. That happened in 1888. Were the first Santa pictures in B&W? You would think so - I found some images dating back to 1944, alas my own picture in Santa's lap dates back to 1954. Yikes!! Shhh, don't tell LaDawn she thinks I'm much younger!

Kodak introduced their portrait film in 1913, but that was sheet film, so I think that takes us to a later date. They finally got around to inventing their Kodacolor film in 1928, but that was in 16mm format for amature cinematographers. Kodacolor film wasn't available for general use until 1942, so color Santa pictures had to be still later than that.

But still the burning question - Who took that first Santa picture? I am deferring to our worldwide readership for some insight into this photographic mystery. Let me know if you have any additional information, or even a photo of you sitting on Santa's lap prior to 1944.