Newberry Winter Fest

As Chicago winter descends on the Newberry Library, we’re embracing this season with warm beverages and holiday lights. What better companion for cozy evenings at home than a peek into a frosty past? Here you can browse selections from Newberry Digital Collections with centuries of letters, postcards, and art about the holiday season.

Read Christmas cards from Ernest Hemingway, explore the evolution of the depiction of Santa, and learn how to say “Happy New Year” in multiple languages with vintage postcards. We'll be sharing more dives into these holiday items throughout the month at Digital Newberry on Tumblr . Subscribe there or keep an eye on this page to get all of your latest Winter Fest updates!

The frigid background image is Elmer Jacobs Christmas card, mid-20th c. View at the digital collections. The snowy ghost is named Enzo. If you haven't found him yet, keep looking!

Winter postcards, early 20th c.

Featuring all your favorite wintertime activities -- from ice skating to single-engine piloting to gathering mushrooms & champagne

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Color Our Collections: Newberry New Year 2023-2024

Inspired by the online #ColorOurCollections festival, a New Year coloring book based on our vintage postcards. Learn how to say "Happy New Year" in five different languages!

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Arctic exploration, 1820s-1880s

Investigate the 1800s European and American expeditions to the Arctic through toys, drawings, and diaries created and inspired by explorers.

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A 1598 map with... Santa?

Amid sailboats and sea monsters, the figure in a red coat and reindeer-driven sleigh isn't actually Santa. Who is he?

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Artists' holiday cards, mid-20th c.

Primarily drawn from the Newberry's John M. Wing collection of printed ephemera, these cards let illustrators, graphic designers, and typesetters send holiday greetings to loved ones while also demonstrating their creativity and skills.

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The Old Man and the Sea-themed Christmas Card

Did Ernest Hemingway invent the thirst trap with his shirtless Christmas card photo? You decide!

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All about Chanukah, 1954

Explore the celebration of Hanukkah with this children's book from the 1950s, printed on unusually-shaped paper meant to resemble a menorah.

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Holiday haul, circa 19th c.

Enjoy vicariously the unboxing of Christmas gifts past through excerpts from letters and diaries, generously transcribed by our crowdsourcing volunteers.

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The adventures of Off-Brand Santa

Hey! We made the evening news!!

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New Year postcards, early 20th c.

Snowball fights, serene landscapes, and young love--ring in the New Year with these vintage postcards.

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New Yeeres calligraphy book, 1606

1600s calligrapher Esther Inglis shared a beautiful New Year gift to welcome 1606--both a stunning piece of art and a convenient advertisement for her services.

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New Year diaries & letters, 1800s-1980s

From buying a fresh diary for the new year to sending greetings to friends across the country, read how the New Year was celebrated across two hundred years of history.

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