Abraham Lincoln, Beardless, Winslow Homer, Complete, Harpers, May 26, 1860

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Abraham Lincoln, Beardless, Winslow Homer, Complete, Harpers, May 26, 1860:
$80.77

You are offerding on an ORIGINAL historicalcomplete issue ofHarpers Weekly Journal of Civilization,published on May 26, 1860, during the pre-Civil War period.This issue includes pages321-336 complete. The cover features a Harper\'s sought-after beardless Abraham Lincoln, from a photo by Brady, asthe Presidential Nomineein 1860. Great illustration! An in-depth bio accompanies the great illustration.

An added bonus in this issue is a fine Winslow Homer illustration on page 324, a 3/4 page drawing titled \"Chime Of Thirteen Bells For Christ Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts,\"

The center-folio offers two illustrations related to the visiting Japanese Ambassadors, their arrival with a treaty, and a reception at the White House with President Buchannan.

And lots of other good stuff. Please see the scans for all in this issue. Aged but overall pretty nice edition. I was unable to load all pages due to limits and have not shown pages 330-331, all printed material. Measures 21 x 16 inches.

Harpers Weekly was started in 1857 after a successful run as a monthly literature and politically leaning publication. By1860 the Weekly’s circulationhad reached 200,000. Among its recurring features were thepolitical cartoonsof Thomas Nastwho was recruited in 1862 and would remain with theWeekly for more than 20 years. Nast was a feared caricaturist, considered bysome the father of American political cartooning. He was the originator of theuse of animals to represent the political parties—the Democrat’s donkey and theRepublican’s elephant—as well as the familiar character of Uncle Sam.

So as not to upset its wide readership inthe South, Harper’s took a moderate editorial position on the issue of slavery. For this it was called by the more hawkish publications “Harper’sWeakly.” The Weekly supported theStephen A. Douglaspresidential campaign against Abraham Lincoln, but as theAmerican Civil Warbroke out, Lincoln and the Union received full and loyalsupport of the publication. Arguably, some of the most important articles andillustrations came from the Weekly’s reporting on the war. It publishedmany renderings in woodcut, by artists such as Alfred Waud, Winslow Homer, and Thomas Nast which are now importantarchives.

The newspaper usually contained 8 pagesof text and 8 pages of gorgeous woodcut engravings, highly prized today fortheir detailed illustrations of the American CivilWar. Theengravings are generally in 3 sizes: double page(DP - 21\" X16\"), Full page (FP- 16\" x 11\") , and half page (HP- 10\" x8\").

With the period wood engravings, when the image has been engraved onto the block ink is applied to its surface with a roller, paper is laid across the surface and presure is applied with a printing press or burnishing tool. As the nineteenth century progressed, wood engraving was used increasingly in periodicals. It was a practical means of illustration because, unlike steel- and copper- plate engraving, wood engraving did not have to be printed separately on a single leaf. Instead, engravings could be integrated with text and on both sides of a leaf. This was helpful in pictorial reporting, where printers could incorporate engravings with a particular story on the same page. The Illustrated London News, Punch, and Harper\'s were just a few of the periodicals that avidly utilized wood engraving. They normally used it to illustrate news stories and to depict works of art. Engraving was also used for political cartoons. In the late 1800s, it was replaced by photographic processes.

This wood-cut engraving was made available by an estate sale and rescued from a bound annual Harper\'s Weekly that was un-accessible for readingas it was. The binding was removed from the volume and each page/issue was very carefully separated from the others.Ina very few cases the page may have had to be razor-cut., the great majority did not. All have original margins. Please watch for the Harper\'s weekly offers in the following weeks.

Low minimum offer and !

Shipping is to U.S. destinations is $3.00 via USPS. These engraved prints come in acetate sleeves and are placed between stiff cardboard for shipping. Lot will usually be shipped within 48 hours of payment receipt.I will combine shipping for other Harpers lots. All lots won on the same date will ship for one price. I prefer Paypal.

This is an original Harpers Weekly wood-carved print. I do not sell reproductions or copies.