‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

Nancy H. Marshall “A Visit from St. Nicholas” Collection
Duration: 
December 10, 2021 to January 3, 2022
Nancy H. Marshall with Santa Claus in front of a Flying Santa helicopter
Nancy H. Marshall with Santa Claus in front of a Flying Santa helicopter

Many Americans are familiar with Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem about a mysterious Christmas Eve visit from St. Nicholas. Moore, who was a well-known biblical scholar and theologian wrote “A Visit from St. Nicholas” for his children and wife in 1823. About 150 years later, Nancy H. Marshall (1932-2018) started collecting editions of the poem, which is today better known as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.

At first Marshall bought inexpensive books to fill her children’s stockings and decorate her home during the Christmas holiday. But over time the collection expanded to include rare and early editions as well as twentieth-century versions that were sometimes retellings of the classic story. After having spent more than a decade as the Dean of William & Mary Libraries, Marshall began donating her collection to the 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.

Cover art for Walter Wick's Can You See What I See - Night Before Christmas book with a model of a decorated house
Walter Wick is the photographic illustrator of the I SPY series, and the creator of the Can You See What I See? series, both of which feature intricately detailed scenes. For the house shown on the cover of this book, a model maker spent about 70 hours to sculpt the house out of carvable foam before painted accents were added. (Rare Book - Nancy H. Marshall Collection GV1507 .P47 W514 2005)

Traditionally an annual display exhibited in William & Mary’s Swem Library, this year’s exhibit is bringing the collection out to the greater Williamsburg community in partnership with Williamsburg Regional Library. The exhibit features illustrated pages from many 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.

 

Please note:

Stryker Center Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday thru Friday

The City of Williamsburg requires masks for all visitors in the Stryker Center regardless of vaccination status. 

 


Curation and Design: Jennie Davy, Exhibits Manager; exhibit background image from freepik.com

Fabrication and Installation: Karen King, Special Collections Research Center Cataloger; Ali Zawoyski, University Archvist; Adrienne Resha, Ph.D. Candidate in American Studies and 2021-2022 Special Collections Exhibits Apprentice; Jennie Davy; and Rob Haas, Williamsburg Regional Library, Program Services and Security Manager

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