Name/Title
Towel, Wallhanging, Christmas: Christmas Songs 221Description
A five-color silkscreen print on off-white linen depicting titles, verses and characters from twelve classic Christmas songs.
From top left:
Joy to the World
The First Good Joy That Mary Had
We Three Kings
I Wonder as I Wander
Hark, The Herald Angels Sing
Rise Up Shepherd and Follow
Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
Silent Night, Holy Night
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Deck the Halls
Good King Wenceslas
Angels We Have Heard On High
The choice of twelve songs may be symbolic of the Twelve Days of Christmas, a theme Wert explored numerous times in wall hangings, cocktail napkins, art prints and greeting cards.
This print was marketed for use as a kitchen towel, wallhanging, or table runner, and is described in a c.1955 price list, “221 Christmas Songs — A most attractive new Hanging to complement our earlier and still popular Christmas Kitchen and Christmas Night, all 17 x 27.”
A later series of Gift Greetings was produced based on the imagery in this design; see examples below. Gift Greetings are Country Prints line of unmounted prints in cardstock note folders with envelopes for gift giving or mailing; see images.
A later example was produced in the late 1960’s after Wert’s death when some of his older work was reintroduced to the product line. The use of Wert’s standardized signature, the Helvetica type and the copyright symbol found on that print are typical of prints produced in this period; see images.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Robert Darr WertRole
ArtistManufacturer
Country PrintsDate made
circa 1955Time Period
20th CenturyPlace
Location
Gill MA.Continent
North AmericaNotes
Print name and number appear on a 1958 Country Prints packing slip; see “Archive” entry.
Edges are serged and bound.Inscription/Signature/Marks
“robert darr wert by hand”, with outlined red heart, lower right corner.Material
Bleached Linen, Textile InkColor
Brick Red, Green, chartreuse, Light Brown, Black
