Are you ready for the holidays? In this lithograph, American artist Adolf Dehn (1895–1968) offers us a view of Christmas Eve in 1931. There are only a few small presents beneath the tree–perhaps a reference to the Great Depression that was seizing the country–but the little fir is covered with lights and ornaments. Two busy cats pounce on fallen ornaments, while a third naps lazily on a nearby chair. In this quiet scene, framed by a crescent moon and fallen snow, Dehn suggests the comfort of homelife and the joys of the season. We wish you comfort and joy!
–Mary Weaver Chapin, Curator of Prints and Drawings
Adolf Dehn (American, 1895–1968), Christmas Eve, 1931. Lithograph on cream wove paper. The Vivian and Gordon Gilkey Graphic Arts Collection, 1997.228.386
