Thomas Handforth, born Tacoma, WA - Wishes You a Merry Christmas - n.d. - T-Shirt

An etched holiday greeting in cream and dark brown, showing an angel appearing above a shepherd who points skyward while sheep and a dog gather below.

Visual Elements & Composition

Cream dominates the sheet, with dark brown and black carrying the linework and tan and grey adding quiet shading. The composition sits within a vertical rectangle. A winged figure hovers at the top, and the shepherd's raised arm draws the eye upward toward it. The sheep and dog occupy the lower foreground, anchoring the scene. The lettering reads Thomas Handforth, then "wishes you a merry" and "Christmas," set plainly within the image.

Meaning & Symbolism

The scene draws on the Nativity story of the shepherds receiving word of the angel, a moment of announcement and goodwill that makes the holiday greeting itself the message. The shepherd's upward point marks that news, while the pastoral flock signals ordinary people and everyday life at the center of the story. Handforth, born in Tacoma, Washington in 1897, was a printmaker and etcher whose career took him from the Pacific Northwest to New York, North Africa, and Asia. This early twentieth-century card shows his etching skill applied to a seasonal sentiment, a small, personal piece meant to be sent to friends and patrons.

Designed for the Shirt

A greeting card is meant to be held close and read slowly, and this artwork carries that intimacy onto a tee. The angel, shepherd, and flock sit across the chest where the eye lands first, so the scene reads as a single, complete image rather than a fragment. Wearing it makes the Christmas message visible to everyone you pass.