Walt Kuhn, born Brooklyn, NY 1877-died - Christmas Greetings 1935 - 1935 - T-Shirt

This is a 1935 Christmas greeting by American modernist Walt Kuhn, reproduced from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection.

Visual Elements & Composition

The source is a hand-colored photo-mechanical reproduction of an ink drawing. The line work carries the image, and the hand color sits on top of it, so the card reads as a drawn piece rather than a printed illustration. It is built as a seasonal card, with the holiday message as its purpose.

Meaning & Symbolism

The card is a personal seasonal missive from the mid-1930s, sent to convey goodwill during the winter holidays. It dates from the years of economic and social recovery after the Great Depression. Artists of that period often sent cards like this to friends, collectors and fellow figures in the New York art scene. Kuhn is best known as a primary organizer of the 1913 Armory Show, which brought European avant-garde art to American audiences, and as a painter of circus performers and theatrical figures. This holiday work shows the private side of that career.

Wearing the Christmas Greeting

A greeting card is made to be read up close and held in the hand, and this design carries that intimacy onto a tee. The artwork sits on the chest where it is seen at a glance and read at close range, the way the original was meant to be received. It suits anyone who collects American modernism or who keeps holiday traditions tied to their history.