This cover of an advertising pamphlet printed by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in 1963 features Thomas Nast’s iconic depiction of Saint Nicholas.
Most people today know Moore’s enchanting tale of the mysterious Christmas Eve visitor, St. Nicholas. Moore, a noted theologian and biblical scholar, wrote this classic more than 180 years ago. Nancy H. Marshall started collecting editions of Clement Clarke Moore’s poem, The Night Before Christmas, almost half a century ago. At first, she bought inexpensive books to put in her children’s stockings and decorate her home with during the Christmas holiday. Over the years, Marshall started to broaden her focus and began to add rare and early books, as well as foreign language editions to the growing body of her contemporary 20th century collection. After over a decade as the Dean of University Libraries at William & Mary, Marshall donated her collection to Swem’s Special Collections Research Center in 2005. Today, students, scholars, and visitors young and old enjoy the many treasures of the Nancy H. Marshall A Visit from St. Nicholas Collection. This year’s exhibit features illustrated pages of fifteen different books, arranged so that together they feature the poem in its entirety—while at the same time showcasing the diversity of the collection’s many editions and adaptations.
Images of the exhibit are available from Special Collections on Flickr.
Curator: Thomas Gillan, History Graduate Student Apprentice. Exhibit design and installation: Jennie Davy, Burger Archives Assistant; with graphics assistance from Andrew Cavell, Undergraduate Student Assistant.