Molumen's artwork increased in size and opacity adjusted for use as a watermark. Thanks to molumen for the artwork. I possess virtually no talent. There is a severe lack of any watermarks on this website. Something I hope to alleviate.
Is it just me or are many old illustrations really quite creepy? Why is Santa dancing with this ferocious looking bear? Why are the children lining up behind them without being scared? I don't why, this whole picture just creeps me out. Originally used to illustrate a December 1904 (read that as: totally public domain) advertisement in the The San Francisco Call newspaper. The original ad was for a company called Pragers. They sold things like: scarf pins for men, women and children (50 cents), vests ($3.85), kindergarten goods for girls (50 cents), porcelain clocks ($2.50) and all other manner of things. (They should have posted the ad with a warning like this: prices subject to change due to temporal readjustment when advertisement is read over 100 years later.)
