Feather Christmas tree

A feather Christmas tree is a type of artificial Christmas tree that is generally considered one of the first artificial trees used as a Christmas tree. They originated in Germany in the late 19th century and became popular in the United States during the early 20th century.

A replica of a 19th-century feather tree, the branches are tinted light green

History

Feather Christmas trees were first created in Germany in the 1880s^[1][2] or 1890s^[3] and are regarded as one of the first types of artificial Christmas trees.^[2][4] These first artificial trees were, in part, a response to growing environmental concerns in the late 19th century concerning deforestation associated with the harvest of Christmas trees in Germany.^[2] The tradition of feather Christmas trees was brought to the United States by German immigrants in places such as Pennsylvania and Texas.^[1][4]

Feather Christmas trees became popular during the early 20th century,^[2] and were sold by department stores in the United States.^[4] Benefits touted for feather trees included the elimination of a trip to the tree lot and the lack of shed needles.^[3] Today, feather Christmas trees are valued as a collectible antique.^[4] One 90-centimeter (36-inch) German tree sold at auction in 2008 for $230.^[5]

Design

An antique feather Christmas tree, note the central dowel

Feather trees were initially made of green-dyed goose feathers which were attached to wire branches.^[3] The feathers were split and then secured with wire to form the branches.^[1] These wire branches were then wrapped around a central dowel which acted as the trunk.^[3] The branches were widely spaced to keep the candles from starting a fire, which allowed ample space for ornamentation.^[3] Feather Christmas trees ranged widely in size, from a small 5-centimeter (2-inch) tree to a large 2.5-meter (98-inch) tree sold in department stores during the 1920s.^[4] Often, the tree branches were tipped with artificial red berries which acted as candle holders.^[3]