The American Issue, December 26, 1913
Dublin Core
Title
The American Issue, December 26, 1913
Subject
It is Christmas Day, and the kids go to check the chimney to find only misery waiting for them. Neither Santa nor their father has done anything for them. The stockings hang empty. Instead of eaten cookies, only rye whiskey is on the table. The holiday is ruined for the entire family by their father’s alcohol addiction. He fails to provide, focusing only on his next drink. The comic is absurd that children are waking to booze instead of gifts. Yet it exposes the real fears of the era that drinkers abandon their families for drinking. How can children thrive without support?
Description
The top of the comic the caption reads, "Where Santa Clause is a Follower of "The Personal Liberty League". Below are four young children getting ready to look at their gifts for Christmas but are instead welcomed by two booze bottles, and empty stockings on the chimney. They are all distraught by what they are seeing and one of the kids is crying. Besides this the home is in tatters and is not well kept.
Creator
The American Issue (Westerville, Ohio)
Source
Library of Congress
Publisher
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL
Date
December 26, 1913
Rights
Under Public Domain
Format
PDF
Language
English
Type
Newspaper Image with Text.
Identifier
Library of Congress Control Number: sn2008060406
Coverage
Prohibition.
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Newspaper comic
Physical Dimensions
8.79 × 12.78 in (portrait)
Files
Collection
Citation
The American Issue (Westerville, Ohio), “The American Issue, December 26, 1913,” Visuals of Prohibition, accessed September 28, 2026, https://prohibition-visuals.leadr.site/items/show/10.