🇺🇸 American Made

Portraits of Christmas- Christmas Time in the City Ornament

Quick Summary

Portraits of Christmas - Christmas Time in the City Ornament is an ornament in Austrian crystals featuring crystal accents, created for seasonal display, holiday traditions, and meaningful gifting.

Regular price: $17.50
Regular price: ~~$35.00~~
Sale price: $17.50

Shipping calculated at checkout.

🇺🇸 Made in Pennsylvania

100+ years of American metalwork

🚚 Free Shipping on $150+

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Description

Portraits of Christmas - Christmas Time in the City Ornament

The Portraits of Christmas - Christmas Time in the City Ornament is a distinctive holiday keepsake in Austrian crystals that turns its subject into an easy-to-display piece for the Christmas tree and seasonal collection.

Design, Story & Meaning

It beautiful reminder of the real reason for the season. The ornament is designed after Pittsburgh's iconic downtown creche at the US Steel Tower, which is the world’s only replica of the Vatican’s St.

Craftsmanship & Product Details

Handcrafted and adorned with Austrian crystals, the ornament comes to life with stunning detail. The Austrian crystals construction gives this version its distinctive material character while keeping the decorative design at the center of the piece.

Display, Gifting & Everyday Use

From the Portraits of Christmas Ornament Collection, Christmastime in the City celebrates the beauty of a Nativity Scene in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city. Peter’s Square display in Rome. As an ornament, it can return to the tree year after year, becoming part of a personal decorating tradition or a collection built around favorite people, places, milestones, or themes. Its keepsake scale makes it easy to gift, display, and store between seasons while preserving the artwork as the focal point. Because the design is tied to a specific subject, sentiment, year, place, or tradition, it can also serve as a small visual reminder of something personally meaningful.

Product Highlights

Austrian crystals
Craftsmanship: Handcrafted

Materials

Austrian crystals

Details

Product type: Ornament

Craftsmanship: Handcrafted

Shipping information

Wendell August Forge

Free Shipping on Orders $150+

Standard delivery: 3-5 business days.
In-stock, non-engraved orders ship the same business day if placed before 11:30 AM EST, or the next business day if ordered later.
Engraved and made-to-order items typically ship within 5–7 business days.
Holiday processing may take longer: from November through December, even in-stock orders may require 5–7 business days to process.

Return Policy

Wendell August Forge

30-day hassle-free returns. Contact us for instructions.
Return shipping on a standard return is not a reimbursable expense.
Custom orders and engraved products are not returnable. Before ordering engraved product, please pay special attention that the engraving information is accurate.
Shipping charges are non-refundable.

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Authorized Retailer Statement

My American Goods® is an authorized retailer of Wendell August Forge. Select items are fulfilled by My American Goods® from our fulfillment center, while others ship directly from the maker. All products are authentic and sourced from Wendell August Forge official inventory. Learn More.

Made in USA
Wendell August Forge Free Shipping on Orders $150+
My American Goods® Certified Quality
Sustainably Made
Small Business Brand

The Story behind Wendell August Forge

Few brands represent American craftsmanship quite like Wendell August Forge.

The story began in Pennsylvania in 1923, when Wendell McMinn August needed ornamental metalwork for his home. Working with blacksmith Ottone Pisoni, that project grew into a forge that would eventually create architectural metalwork for businesses, churches, ships, and institutions—including an early commission for the Alcoa Aluminum Research Laboratories. The decorative aluminum trays that followed helped pioneer an entirely new category of American giftware.

More than a century later, the process is still remarkably hands-on. Artists create the designs, master die engravers translate them into steel, and Pennsylvania craftspeople hammer, shape, and finish the metal by hand. Some hand-engraved designs even carry the engraver's hidden signature—a quiet reminder that a real person helped create the piece.

The company's history is also one of resilience. Wendell August survived wartime shutdowns, changes in ownership, and a devastating 2010 fire that destroyed its historic factory. Yet the Forge continued—and today remains a family-owned American manufacturer creating gifts meant to outlive the occasion they celebrate.

That's exactly why Wendell August Forge belongs at My American Goods®: more than 100 years of American manufacturing, generations of skilled craftspeople, and heirloom gifts still made with hands, hammers, and a remarkable respect for tradition.

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Wendell August Forge

Wendell August Forge FAQs

What is Wendell August Forge known for?

Wendell August Forge is known for handcrafted American metal gifts, particularly Christmas ornaments, baby keepsakes, wedding and anniversary gifts, personalized pieces, religious gifts, home décor, bowls, trays, and commemorative designs.

Who founded Wendell August Forge?

The company was founded by Wendell McMinn August in 1923 in Brockway, Pennsylvania. Its beginnings trace back to metalwork created for August's own home with the help of blacksmith Ottone Pisoni, eventually leading the two men to establish the Forge.

Are Wendell August Forge products made in the USA?

Yes. Wendell August Forge proudly identifies its handcrafted metal gifts as Made in the USA, with skilled craftspeople working in its Pennsylvania workshop.

How are Wendell August pieces made?

Each design begins with an artist and is transferred into a steel die by skilled die engravers. Craftspeople then use repoussé and hand-hammering techniques to bring the design into relief before shaping and finishing each piece. The complete process involves eight stages rooted in traditional metalworking.

Can Wendell August gifts be personalized?

Yes. Many pieces can be customized with names, dates, initials, monograms, or other meaningful details, making them especially suited for weddings, anniversaries, births, baptisms, holidays, and family milestones.

Is Wendell August Forge family-owned?

Yes. Wendell August Forge remains a family-owned American business. The Knecht family purchased the company in 1978, helping transform the Forge's gift business and establishing traditions including its now-iconic annual Christmas ornament.