December 24 is the birthday of American children's book author and illustrator JOHNNY GRUELLE (1880-1938).

Gruelle "is best known as the creator of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy dolls and as the author/illustrator of dozens of books. He also created the Beloved Belindy doll. Gruelle also contributed cartoons and illustrations to at least ten newspapers, four major new syndicates, and more than a dozen national magazines." (Wikpedia)

To see samples of Gruelle’s work, CLICK HERE.

December 24 is the birthday of Americans sculptor PAUL MANSHIP (1885-1966).

Manship "consistently created mythological pieces in a classical style, and was a major force in the Art Deco movement. He is well known for his large public commissions, including the iconic Prometheus in Rockefeller Center and the Celestial Sphere Woodrow Wilson Memorial in Geneva, Switzerland. He is also credited for designing the modern rendition of New York City's official seal." (Wikipedia)

To see examples of his work, CLICK HERE.

December 24 is the birthday of Russian emigré children's author and illustrator FEODOR STEPANOVICH ROJANKOVSKY (1891-1970).

Rojankovsky won the 1956 Caldecot Medal for U.S. picture book illustration for "Frog Went A-Courtin'."

"Two great events determined the course of my childhood. I was taken to the zoo and saw the most marvelous creatures on earth: bears, tigers, monkeys and reindeer, and, while my admiration was running high, I was given a set of color crayons. Naturally, I began immediately to depict the animals which captured my imagination. Also when my elder brothers, who were in schools in the capital, came home for vacation, I tried to copy their drawings and to imitate their paintings."

To see samples of his art, CLICK HERE.

December 24 is the birthday of surrealist film maker and sculptor JOSEPH CORNELL (1903-1972).

Cornell "was an American visual artist and filmmaker, one of the pioneers and most celebrated exponents of assemblage. Influenced by the Surrealists, he was also an avant-garde experimental filmmaker. He was largely self-taught in his artistic efforts, and improvised his own original style incorporating cast-off and discarded artifacts. He lived most of his life in relative physical isolation, caring for his mother and his disabled brother at home, but remained aware of and in contact with other contemporary artists." (Wikipedia))

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City has a delightful diorama (or shadowbox) by Joseph Cornell called LOBSTER BALLET FOR JACQUES OFFENBACH.

To see samples of Cornell’s art, CLICK HERE.

On December 24, 1818, SILENT NIGHT by Franz Gruber and Joseph Mohr was sung for the first time. The midnight Mass at which the work was first sung took place in a small church in Oberndorf, high in the Austrian Alps.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: O December 24, 1871, Giuseppe Verdi's opera AÏDA had its premiere in Cairo, Egypt.