The Snowman’s Oddly Political History
Turns out the winter sculpture has served more than just aesthetic purposes.
If there’s a white, fluffy layer of snow on the ground, odds are you’re itching to play in it. And if you’re playing in the snow, what else would you do but roll it into a ball? And then another, slightly smaller one. And then a third. Stick on some arms, a face and maybe some accessories, and voila: You’ve become a part of a millennia-long tradition.
As long as there have been humans in the snow, there have probably been snowmen. Trying to discover where the first one was built is like trying to track down the first person to ever sneeze; almost as soon as it happened, it was gone. But, throughout history, some of our frosty friends have been more notable than others. And their stories have survived long after the protagonists had melted away.
1. The first snowman ever drawn was Jewish. Uncovered by Bob Eckstein for his book, The History of the Snowman, the earliest known depiction of a snowman sits in a manuscript of The Book of Hours from 1380.The oddly anti-Semitic drawing features a Jewish snowman melting near a fire. The accompanying passage describes the crucifixion of Jesus.
2. Your best snowman will probably never live up to the one Michelangelo made. In 1494, a prince known as Piero the Unfortunate commissioned the artist to build a snowman in the Medici courtyard. Though very little is written about the work, one art critic from the time said it was astonishingly beautiful.
3. Snowpeople have been used as acts of political protest. Though today’s snowman has become a reliable holiday character for those wishing to remain secular and apolitical, they weren’t always used for such impartial purposes. In 1511, people in Brussels were miserable. On top of being poor and hungry, they were also dealing with “The Winter of Death,” where freezing temperatures lingered over the city for months. The government decided that a snowman festival would be perfect for raising spirits. And they were right, just probably not in the way they had hoped. Aspiring snow artists covered the city in pornographic snow sculptures, as well as graphic caricatures of prominent citizens. The officials let them have their fun, hoping that as the sculptures vanished in the spring, the people’s angst would melt away too.
4. The snowman was one of the world’s earliest models. The first photograph of a snowman was taken by Mary Dillwyn in 1845, shortly after the camera was first invented. So, the first photo of a snowman is also one of the first photos of anything. Ever.
First Snowman – Mary Dillwyn/National Museum of Wales
5. Snowmen may have helped the French fight Prussia. As the king of Prussia sought to expand his territory by invading Paris in 1870, two French soldiers and artists revived spirits with acts of snow sculpting. In the Bicêtre fortress, they constructed “The Resistance,” a snowwoman sitting on a cannon, and “The Republic,” a stoic snow-bust in a cap. The snow-crafts weren’t enough, though, and Prussia ultimately won the war of 1870. Some historians state that the grudge held by the people of France from this defeat helped drive the country’s victory in World War I.
6. The tallest snowperson in history is from Michigan. The home of the world’s tallest snowman is Bethel, Michigan. Bethel first earned the distinction in 1999 with Angus King of the Mountain. But when no other city rose to take the title in the ensuing years, Bethel decided they’d have to beat their own record. In a feat of feminism, they constructed Olympia – the 122-foot-tall snowwoman – in 2008. She had eyelashes made of skis, lips made of car tires, a 100-foot-long scarf, and a six-foot-long snowflake pendant.
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Credits: Smithsonian Magazine, Mental Floss Magazine, The History of the Snowman – Bob Eckstein, The Book of Hours, Annie Garou, Mary Dillwyn, Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.
An interesting post on a subject that has been delighting youngsters, and adults for centuries and I would have never even thought to find out how. We are never too old to learn. Thank you teacher. :o)
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i learn so much each and every day and am always amazed.
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Me too and I am 73. :o)
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⛄️
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There’s a whole lot of fun in this post Beth. I’m humored by the use of snow peoples for centuries. And that humor was prevalent even in the ‘olden times’.
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yes, i think so too. i’m glad you could see all the humor. people have always used humor as a vehicle to express things –
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Fascinating!
>
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This is interesting. An answer to a question I never thought of asking.
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Isn’t that funny how that happens sometimes?
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You made me wonder whether anyone had ever written a history of snowmen. Then I noticed your credit to Bob Eckstein’s The History of the Snowman. Now I can’t help wondering who wrote the first book or even essay about snowmen.
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Yes, indeed ⛄️
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Wow. That’s so cool. Snowmen, who knew?
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Exactly ⛄️
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Wow the things you learn when you go look. Thanks Teach I appreciate that.
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You never know what’s out there )⛄️
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but never be afraid to find out
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Wow, how very cool. Eyelashes made from skis, that’s one huge snowperson. So interesting:)
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A true Amazon
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You find such interesting facts..:)
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The world is full of interesting things and it’s fun to stumble upon them )
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Wow, I had never thought how fascinated people have been about snowmen! Interesting facts, Beth!
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I think it was used as a form of expression from the beginning
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It may likely be ☺
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I hope Michelangelo’s snowman made Piero happy for a brief time. Things couldn’t be good if he was called Piero the Unfortunate:)
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It don’t think that much made Piero happy
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I’ve never heard of him, so looked him up. Maybe not meant to be a leader, but there was so much intrigue back then, it was hard to hang onto power.
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Yes, I’m sure it was –
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Fantastic post … who knew snowmen held such a place in history … hmmm but what about snowwomen! 🙂
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The last example was a strong amazon woman )⛄️
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Who knew there was so much to learn about snow people??
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Right?
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I love the idea of protesting with snow art. Get it out and let it melt and wash away your anger. There’s something kind of poetic about that.
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I agree and it’s a peaceful protest at that )
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Wishing you perfect snowpeople-making snow this winter! Happy new year, Beth! 🙂
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thanks, kelly and to you too )
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What fascinating stories. Thanks.
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Neat. It’s too bad Michelangelo didn’t paint a portrait of his snowman.
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isn’t it though? perhaps he did and it will be discovered one day, though i don’t think he was happy about having to do this project –
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Yeah, I’ll bet this was way beneath him. He was a trooper. He wasn’t keen on the Cistene Chapel either, but thank goodness he did it anyway!
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exactly
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Very interesting stuff. I’ve always been a fan of snowmen, but had no idea of their intriguing history…
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i like them too, and who knew?
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Thanks! Snowpeople have much more substance than I gave them credit for…at least until they melt! 🙂
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there you go )
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Wow that is a big snowman (or is it snowwoman??) . That would take a whole parking lot full of snow to make one that big! Interesting post Beth!
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