THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 21, 1994 TAG: 9412200134
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Long : 179 lines
CHEERFUL GREETINGS ring through the spacious rooms in the old Victorian home-turned-art-gallery on Main Street.
Helen Spaetzel, flitting from the main gallery to the gift shop, down the hall and beyond, nods her head and smiles to first one miniature man, then another.
``Hi, guys!'' she says.
``Stand up straight.''
``How've you been?'' she asks another.
And then, stopping briefly: ``Oh, let's straighten that jacket. There, that's better.''
Laura Baldwin Huff is just a few paces behind Spaetzel. And, like her friend and partner, she checks on the flock, smoothing a beard here, patting a hat there, fluffing a bright red velvet jacket.
``They like it when we talk to them,'' Spaetzel says, looking over her shoulder as the two artists become reacquainted with their harem of Santas.
The ``guys'' are a collection of 30 ``Belsnichols'' or ``Pelz Nicholas,'' or Santa Clauses with fur, according to the English translation of the German phrase. In less artistic terms, they are miniature Santas authentically dressed from different parts of the world and different periods of history.
The Baltzel Belsnichols (Baltzel comes from a combination of part of the names Baldwin and Spaetzel) - span the years between 1841 and 1950. The collection is making its third public appearance this year at The Collage, home of the Isle of Wight Arts League.
Twelve pieces of the Baltzel Belsnichols collection were first displayed in 1992 at the Peninsula Fine Arts Commission. Last year, the entire collection was exhibited at the Hampton Arts Commission.
The story of their creation begins in 1987 when Spaetzel saw a similar Santa in a home decorating magazine.
``Laura and I both enjoy craftsmanship,'' Spaetzel said.
So the artists, who first met and formed a friendship when Huff's daughter was taking an after-school art class from Spaetzel, visited a Christmas shop in Williamsburg in search of more Belsnichols.
``We were looking at these Santas and criticizing everything about them,'' Spaetzel said.
``I remember saying, `Hey, you can see the stitches,' '' Huff said, laughing.
From there, the women set on an adventure that took them through several periods of history, a variety of countries and cultures and an array of holiday traditions surrounding Santa Claus through the ages.
``We did tons and tons of research,'' Spaetzel said. ``I've typed a lot of it into my computer, and we have a three-ring notebook filled with research. There are so many stories. One Santa was even kind of mean.''
``He was the disciplinarian,'' Huff added. ``Parents would threaten children with him. He carried lumps of coal and switches. In some pictures, we even saw Santas with horns.''
``In some, he had a wolf mask,'' Spaetzel said.
``It was very interesting reading,'' said her partner.
And it was even more interesting when the women actually set out to accomplish the task they assigned to themselves. By the time the research was nearing an end, they had decided they would mold, dress and create 60 historically correct Santas.
After nearly four years of hard work resulted in only 30 in their Baltzel collection, they decided they were satisfied with a smaller number.
``We did it, and we're glad! Do you hear us? Glad!'' Spaetzel said, imitating a frenzied laugh.
The women patterned their Santas after sketches and drawings from newspapers, magazines and periodicals - artists' interpretations of how Santa appeared during different times in history. Some of the artists include Clarence Moore, Thomas Nast, and a man who went simply by ``Swain.'' He frequently appeared in an English magazine named ``Punch.'' Many of the Santas were taken from ``Harper's Weekly.''
And most of the drawings were done in black and white, so it was up to the women to choose the color of clothing, hair and beards.
The Santas are formed of foam and fiber-fill bodies stuffed into underwear made from feed sacks.
A wooden dowel to support the body and to fasten it to the base runs through the center of each Santa's body and through one leg. The heads are attached to the bodies by the dowel.
``She,'' Spaetzel said, pointing at her partner, ``is meticulous. She drove me crazy. Even though I complained, I appreciated every bit of it.''
That's because Huff insisted that everything had to be exactly like the historic interpretation - every outfit, every toy, every prop.
The Santas started in shoeboxes. As the women found what they wanted each Santa to wear and to carry, the materials were put into the boxes. The toys in the tiny sacks were often a challenge, since it was hard to find anything so small.
``We experimented with different materials,'' Huff said. ``Many of the toys are made from Styrofoam meat trays. I think Helen could write a book now on 1,001 uses for meat trays.''
Huff was the ``shopper,'' Spaetzel said. She searched flea markets, garage sales, thrift shops for materials that could be recycled. The women used wood from a boat that belonged to Huff's father, more wood from an old dresser Spaetzel had in her barn.
Red velvet came from a bedspread purchased at a yard sale for $3. The hair and beards are mostly human hair recycled from wigs. Spaetzel's mother donated collars made of mink and other furs that she had saved over the years.
And one Santa, wearing a kind of jumpsuit, could boast that his outfit once belonged to a very well-to-do-lady.
``I paid $2 for the coat at a thrift store,'' Huff said. ``It had a label in it that said `Silverman's Furs.' I walked into the store and asked `What kind of fur is this? What did it cost when it was new?' ''
The answer was ``muskrat bellies,'' and the coat had originally sold for $1,500.
``When we got ready to make his outfit,'' Huff said, ``Helen looked at me and said, `Are you going to cut that?' I told her that's what I had bought it for.''
Huff's favorite in the collection is the ``Coca Cola Santa'' from the 1950s. He's the only bald Santa, with no hat.
Spaetzel is partial to a Santa from 1883.
``Look at the poor little sled and the poor little rag doll,'' she said, pointing. ``He has a basket of oranges, a basket of apples, a goose under his arm and another on his back. He is bringing Christmas dinner.''
Although friends and acquaintances continue to send the women drawings of early Santas, Spaetzel and Huff agree they are finished with the project. No amount of encouragement, they say, could convince them to craft more.
``We've even had people suggest that we use these as samples and take orders,'' Huff said. ``We agree that we won't do that. It would take away their individuality.''
The women have discovered that similar Santas are priced between $500 and $1,800.
``Last year, Neiman-Marcus at Tyson's corner had one for $1,895,'' Huff said. ``It wasn't as big as ours, and it looked like it had been mass-produced.''
Each Santa in the Baltzel Belsnichols collection took between 40 and 60 hours to make, with both artists working. They are priced at $650 each. Spaetzel and Huff would like to sell them as a collection, if they sell them at all.
``Sometimes, I think we hope they never sell,'' Spaetzel said. ``We're too attached. But if they do, we're hoping they stay together because they're all buddies now.''
``There will be no more,'' Huff said. ``These are one of a kind.''
The Santas will be displayed at The Collage through Dec. 31. There's the Russian-appearing Santa from a drawing on an American advertising card from the late 1800s, the Santa wearing a fawn-colored great coat with mink trim and a mink hat, based on a drawing from a German Christmas card of the mid-1800s.
Another late 1800s Santa was brought to near-life by Spaetzel and Huff from a trading card. He wears a long, flowing red velvet robe, carries a trumpet in his hands and switches in his pack.
And a rotund Santa wearing what appears to be bright red, wide-legged britches and a short red jacket trimmed in beige fur is based on a drawing of a Dutch Santa done by Edward Penfield in 1907.
Every Santa in the collection is different. And each a work of art. But, Spaetzel says, they're something more as well.
``They are a feast for the eyes,'' she said. ``We want people to look and explore and smile.'' MEMO: Related story on page 9.
The Collage is located at 346 Main Street. The studios and gallery are
open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 1 to 5
p.m. on Sunday. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo on cover
Staff photos by MICHAEL KESTNER
Lorene Richards, a docent at The Collage in Smithfield, adjusts the
display of Santas from around the world. The one at right is is
based on a drawing of a Dutch Santa done by Edward Penfield in 1907.
The miniatures are handmade by local artists Helen Spaetzel and
Laura Baldwin Huff.
This version carries a Christmas tree and toys. His robe is trimmed
in fur.
This hatless Santa finds a fine spot to keep track of his
spectacles. He's the ``Coca Cola Santa'' from the 1950s - Huff's
favorite and the only bald one in the collection.
These miniatures are on display at The Collage in Smithfield. A
Russian-like Santa from a drawing on an American advertising card
from the late 1800s, far left, wears a fawn-colored great coat with
mink trim and a mink hat. The other wears velvet.
by CNB