The Nativity of Christ from an illuminated manuscript book of hours produced in Rouen around 1470 (ms38938). The Book of Hours was a prayer book for the laity that developed in late medieval Europe and that was used…
Front cover and illustrations from Juliana Horatia Ewing’s Snap-dragons: a tale of Christmas eve; and, Old Father Christmas (Chi PZ7.E85S63). ‘Snap Dragons’ was originally published in the Christmas issue of The…
Engraved illustration of mistletoe from Elizabeth Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal, published in 1739 (sf QK99.B5 Volume 1). Mistletoe has long been associated with Christmas – used in wreath decorations under which people…
Illustration ‘The Christmas Pudding’ from the The Ruhleben Camp magazine, Christmas Issue, 1916 (r DG3A15). Ruhleben Gefangenenlager (British Civilian Internment Camp) was established after the outbreak of the First…
Pamphlet called Remembrance produced for Christmas 1916 by Mrs Herkless, wife of Principal John Herkless, and the ladies of the University. They brought out a similar booklet in 1915, featuring poems by alumni Andrew…
Photographs of postman Andrew Kirk delivering Christmas parcels and of the Christmas rush at the post office depot in St Andrews, December 1936 (GMC-EA-324 and GMC-EA-331-A). These photographs were taken by George…
Illustration of the Snow Queen from Andrew Lang’s The Pink Fairy Book published in 1897 (Lan PZ8.L2P5). The original fairy tale of the Snow Queen was written by Hans Christian Anderson, first published in 1844, and…
Final page from a hand-made Calendar from 1920. The students of University Hall, St Andrews, the first all-female residence in Scotland (1896), presented a series of hand-made and illustrated calendars to the then…
Ginger bread Take 4 quarts of fine flower and a pound of sweet butter and half an ounce of ginger and as much pepper beatten and half a quarter a pint of rose watter and as much seck [i.e. a dry white wine] and 4…
A black and white photograph of a Christmas party, complete with Christmas tree and Father Christmas (GMC-4-5-3). The photograph is by George Cowie, a local press photographer from 1930 to 1982. The description of the…