Lecture: Washington Irving, the Dutch Saint Nicholas, and the American Santa Claus
January 23rd, 2026
On January 23rd, 2026, the Holland Society and the Victorian Society of New York hosted a lecture by Elisabeth Paling Funk about Washington Irving, the Dutch Saint Nicholas, and the American Santa Claus at the St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church on the Upper West Side.
In Knickerbocker’s History of New York, first published on Saint Nicholas Day 1809, Washington Irving introduced the Dutch Saint Nicholas as patron saint and folk hero, changed his appearance, and manipulated his character traits. This presentation will follow the Nicholas celebration from its early European origin through its arrival in New Netherland and continued observance in America. Irving’s adoption of the Dutch “Sinterklaas” is responsible for the survival of what was originally a transplanted regional celebration among New Yorkers of Dutch descent into the nationally cherished American Santa Claus.
Elisabeth Paling Funk, PhD, recently published the book The Dutch World of Washington Irving. The book tells an alternative origin story of American literary culture. Funk explores what the young Irving would have read, heard, and observed during his early life and career in New York City, once part of the former colony of New Netherland, where he was surrounded by Dutch-speaking neighbors and relatives and Dutch literature. Born in Woerden, the Netherlands, Elisabeth received her PhD from Fordham University, taught English at the university level, and is now a translator, editor, and independent scholar. She lives in the Hudson Valley.
Autographed copies of her book The Dutch World of Washington Irving are available for sale here.
