It’s the holiday season! Let’s take a look at all the ways people in Maryland have celebrated Chanukah and Christmas over the years found in historic Maryland newspapers from Chronicling America.
Holiday Festivities in the Newspapers
christmas
Competing Visions of Peace in a Nation at War: Speaking Out at the National Christmas Tree Lighting, 1971
On December 16, 1971, two crowds gathered on the Ellipse behind the White House in Washington, D.C., to promote a holiday season often connected to images of peace between nations and peoples.
The 1971 National Christmas Tree. Photograph taken by Jim Aycock, Department of the Interior
Christmas Greetings from Special Collections
Celebrate the holidays with these yuletide selections from Special Collections and University Archives!
Our Robert Frost Collection includes beautifully printed and designed Christmas Cards, also known as chapbooks, featuring poetry by Robert Frost. Printed by the Spiral Press, the idea for these cards began in 1930 not by Frost, but the founder of the Spiral Press Joseph Blumenthal. With’s Frost involvement, a new card was published annually until 1962. While not all overtly Christmas-themed, the poems have Frosts’ unmistakable rural charm.
Many notable authors and poets looked for inspiration in Christmastime, from the humorous to the introspective. Works by Ernest Hemingway, Ogden Nash, T.S. Eliot, H.L. Menken, Louisa May Alcott, and many more can be found in Special Collections and University Archives.
Looking for something more classic? The Kelmscott Press, a fine printing press started by English author and socialist WIlliam Morris (1834-1896), printed a wonderful edition of ‘Good King Wenceslas‘, illustrated by Arthur J. Gaskin. Also in our Rare Book collection is a copy of ‘The Night Before Christmas’, printed in 1899. This edition, issued by famed New York City Bookshop Brentanos, is illustrated by J. C. Chase.
Visit the Maryland Room in when we re-open on January 4th and explore more from our collections!
A Merry German Christmas in Baltimore
Today’s post is written by Elliott Wrenn, Student Assistant for the Historic Maryland Newspapers Project and MLS candidate in UMD’s College of Information Studies. Thanks to Jill Fosse for providing the translations in this blog post. Enjoy!
Der Deutsche Correspondent, December 24, 1900
With the holidays upon us, we at the Historic Maryland Newspapers Project cannot help but post a few images of what Baltimore residents saw in Der Deutsche Correspondent during the holidays. The images primarily come from paid advertisements posted in the paper. As ads can play a significant role in shaping and reflecting material and visual culture of the time, the news daily allows us to look at daily life as a turn-of-the-century Baltimorean saw it.
November and December issues are filled with ads for the holidays. These include advertisements for a Thanksgiving Grokes Austern-Souper (oyster supper); week-long train getaways for Weihnachten-Neujahr [Christmas-New Year]; Christmas stocks of “fresh raisins, currants, citron,” books and games for children; and Christmas showpieces at the Ford’s Grand Opera House in Baltimore.
Santa Claus is prominent throughout December editions in the 1880s and 1890s, appearing in countless Christmas stories, poems, and ads for children’s toys and men’s clothing.
Der Sonntags-Correspondent, December 15, 1894
Der Deutsche Correspondent, December 15, 1896
In one image a store advertises its in-store holiday musical performances, decorative displays, ice palace, and post bureau for Santa Claus; in another Santa Claus himself fits a man for an overcoat.
Der Deutsche Correspondent, December 19, 1896
Der Deutsche Correspondent, December 18, 1897
Der Deutsche Correspondent, December 19, 1896
If the fact that Der Deutsche Correspondent was published in German wasn’t enough to link a portion of Baltimore immigrants to the old country, Der Deutsche Correspondent advertised its forwarding service for Christmas remittances to Germany. The ad reads:
Der Deutsche Correspondent, December 10, 1896
Remittances to Germany.
Remittances to Germany that are intended for Christmas should be sent very soon, so that they arrive in good time. If they get there earlier, they aren’t any less welcome, but if they arrive late, they lose a lot of their value as Christmas presents. The forwarding service of the “Correspondent” is the most punctual and cheapest way of getting payments of small and large sums to Germany. Address your request to: E. Raine, Baltimore, MD.
Der Deutsche Correspondent consistently printed a yearly calendar and inserted it into an issue either at the end of the year or very beginning of the year. On one calendar the paper proudly advertises its founding in 1841 and displays the building built by George A. Frederick on the corner of East Baltimore Street and Postoffice Avenue (now Custom House Alley) where the paper was drafted and printed. The building later was burnt down in the 1904 fire that consumed large portions of downtown Baltimore at the time. (Look for a detailed post on the Baltimore fire of 1904 in the months ahead.)
Der Deutsche Correspondent, December 29, 1896
Der Sonntags-Correspondent, December 24, 1897
Happy Holidays from the Historic Maryland Newspapers Project! See you in the new year!
Special Collections & University Archives 