Download a Christmas Card Suitable for a Rockefeller
The letter sent to the Disney Studio sharing the ideas Rockefeller had for the Christmas card, asking for "a scene typical of Christmas as celebrated in this country."
In 1940, Nelson A. Rockefeller, an heir to the Rockefeller oil fortune, patron of the arts, and eventual vice president of the United States (1974–77), wrote a memo to President Roosevelt from South America. Rockefeller had long been interested in the region, because of the art he collected there and also from the investments he was making in a Standard Oil subsidiary in Venezuela called Creole Petroleum. Moved by the poverty he saw there, his memo outlined ways to improve inter-American relations, bring money to the region, and suppress any Nazi sympathies that may have begun to flourish there. Roosevelt was impressed and appointed Rockefeller as head of a new government bureau, the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs.
One of the ways Rockefeller wanted to bring the two Americas together was by sharing cultures. He brought A-list stars of the time, like Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Dorothy Lamour, there. They also invited Walt Disney, who, along with his wife, Lillian, and a cadre of 16 artists and musicians, left for South America in early 1941 for a 10-week goodwill trip. The idea was to create a movie—one that would be shown in Central and South America as part of a new Good Neighbor Policy. The film that Walt eventually made—the animated feature package film Saludos Amigos—premiered in Rio de Janeiro on August 24, 1942 to favorable reviews.
Hey D23, you say, what does any of this have to do with the Yuletide and celebrating the spirit of the season? Well, one of the joys of working at Disney with the archivists at the Walt Disney Archives is discovering little gems that very few people know about—some, like this one, that have a Christmas angle.
It turns out that in 1944, Nelson Rockefeller, who obviously respected Walt and the work he did on Saludos Amigos, wanted him to design the Christmas cards he would send out that year. "It seems kind of futile for us to make any suggestion to you, as I’m sure you will have far more and better ones," Francis Alstock wrote on behalf of the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs on November 16. Sometime between November 16 and December 6, the Disney Studio sent proposed scenes to the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs—reproductions of which are shown below, courtesy of the Walt Disney Archives.
One of three proposed Christmas cards sent to the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs by the Disney Studio.
One of three proposed Christmas cards sent to the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs by the Disney Studio.
A letter sent from the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs to Don Douglas at the Disney Studio, thanking the Studio for their help and revealing the preferred Christmas card image marked with an X—Donald Duck in a sleigh drawn by two reindeers. Scroll back up, and you’ll see the winning design!
One of three proposed Christmas cards sent to the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs by the Disney Studio—the eventual winner of the three.
