A merry band of Brownie's sitting around the dinner table having their Christmas feast. Very colorful and funny characters created by Palmer Cox. Palmer Cox (1840-1924) was a Canadian-born illustrator, best known for his humorous cartoons about the mischievous elves he called Brownies. Brownies, like fairies and goblins, are imaginary little sprites, who are supposed to delight in harmless pranks and helpful deeds. They work and sport while weary households sleep, and never allow themselves to be seen by mortal eyes. Brownies first appeared in 1883 in the popular children's magazine St. Nicholas. The publishers described Brownies as “a very strange little band of night-sprites; tiny neckless creatures with big ears, pop-eyes, wide smiling mouths, fat round paunches, spindling legs and long tapering feet.”