Department 56 Accessory Study For Nighthawks
This accessory is inspired by the famous American artist Edward Hopper who painted the famous "Nighthawks" painting in 1942. The figures depict Hopper and his wife, standing outside the diner while he sketches the activity of the after hours diner crowd.
- Retired November 2016
- Dimensions: 2.56" H x 1.22" W x 1.73" L
- Made of porcelain and plastic
Department 56
The company behind the villages.
Over thirty years ago, Department 56 began as part of Bachman’s, a premiere retail florist in Minneapolis. Bachman’s used a numbering system to identify each of its departments. The number assigned to wholesale gift imports division was, you guessed it, 56. Now headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Department 56 has become a leader in the giftware, collectibles and holiday decorating industry and is best known for our hand-crafted lighted villages, figurines and extensive lines of holiday and home decorative products.
Their Story
One Christmas evening, a group of friends set off to enjoy a dinner of celebration at a small country inn nestled in a quiet river town. As they rounded a bend in the road, they saw the small, old-fashioned village decorated for the holidays. The lights, like fairies, glowed and sparkled amid the freshly fallen snow. All evening, the conversation was full of Christmas memories and the visions the tiny town had evoked. Amidst the jovial banter and magical memories, the idea for a lighted Christmas village was born. That spark of an idea became a reality when, in 1976, Department 56 introduced a series of six hand-painted, ceramic buildings. The rest is history.