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Eerie coincidences…
April 25, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The “”Southern Illustrated News” was a somewhat failed attempt by the Confederacy to bring to its citizens an illustrated newspaper similar to “Harper’s Weekly” and “Leslie’s Illustrated“. Although the presumed feature of the Dec. 5, 1863 issue was the front page engraving & biography of Captain William Downs Farley, time caused several innocuous items on the back page to intrigue the historical collector.
The back page has several reports which bring together many of the names involved in the Lincoln assassination that would happen more than a year in the future. Under the theatrical reports is mention that: “…Laura Keene, Mr. & Mrs. Charles Walcott…lately formed an alliance known as ‘Laura Keen’s Combination & have been t
raveling through the Northern States…On Monday last huge posters were put out announcing the ‘American Cousin’ with Charles Walcott in one of the principal parts…” Remember that Laura Keene starred in “Our American Cousin”, the performance at Ford’s Theatre the evening of the assassination. Also on the back page: “Edwin Booth is playing in Boston supported by Mrs. Anna Cornell & Mr. Marshall.” He was the brother of John Wilkes Booth. Even his name is here, performing at Ford’s Theatre no less: “The present week is announced as the last of J. Wilkes Booth…at Ford’s New Theatre, Washington, D.C.” And a bit further on is even mention of the President: “…preparatory to his appearance at Richmond in the character of one of President Lincoln’s special peace envoys as already announced…” (see). This single page brings together the names Laura Keene, the play “Our American Cousin”, John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln, and Ford’s Theatre, an almost eerie coincidence, particularly for a Confederate newspaper.
The Civil War… 150 years ago today… April 20, 1861
April 20, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
We continue our weekly feature of reflecting upon the appropriate 150 year old issue of “Harper’s Weekly” from the perspective of a subscriber in 1861:
“This week’s edition has many prints on the Civil War, just as I was hoping. Reading the reports in the daily papers I looked forward to see what was happening. The front page has a nice view of “The Confederate Batteries Opposite Fort Pickens, Florida” which shows the formidable size of the fort. An inside page has an interesting 5 panel print of “Commander Dahlgren, U.S.N. and the Dahlgren Gun”, a cannon mounted on wheels. It’s interesting that they take a full page to show a print of “The Washington Navy-Yard with Shad Fishers in the Foreground”, but what I found most interesting is the partially completed dome of the New Capitol building under construction in the nation’s capital. It would seem to be the tallest structure in town!
The double page centerfold has a dramatic presentation of; “The United States Fleet Off Fort Pickens, Florida”–what beautiful ships! This one could be framed. I’m hoping next week’s edition will show scenes of the battle of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. I’ve read all about it, now I want to see it!”
To enjoy the images (and some of the text) from this issue, please go to: Harper’s Weekly, April 20, 1861
Confederate “Extra” with content from two eras…
April 18, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Finding oddities from the newspaper world is part of the fun of the hobby, and recently one came our way which I found to be very unusual.
The “Daily Appeal–Extra” newspaper from Memphis, Tennessee dated April 20, 1861, contains content which is over two years apart. This is a “broadside extra” edition meaning the narrow sheet was published to report a specific event, and printed on one side only. But in this case, the reverse is not entirely blank.
First, it’s curious that this is a newspaper from a city which was only “Confederate” until the battle of Memphis, June 6, 1862, after which it was in Yankee control. The front has a very nice graphic devise at the top of the first column showing a cannon and Confederate flag, with heads: “THE WAR NEWS ! ” “Star of the West Taken As A Prize ! “and other related heads & reports.
But the most intriguing aspect of this issue is the back page. Although I am convinced this was issued in 1861 with the reverse blank, it nonetheless has a print of a map of the Vicksburg vicinity, and nothing else. Now, let’s keep in mind that the siege of Vicksburg didn’t happen until mid-May, 1863 thru its fall to the Yankees on July 4, 1863. Note that the heading of the map reads: “Position of the Fleets Above and Below The City” showing the positions of both Porter’s and Farragut’s fleets. Their appearance in the Mississippi did not happen until 1863. I surmise this “Extra” edition was lying around the printing office and since the back side was blank they used it as a test sheet for printing this map, which likely appeared in a the “Memphis Appeal” newspaper at some point in May, June, or July, 1863. Consequently this becomes a truly fascinating curiosity to have printings from two different periods in a single issue, and one being a map.
Do any fellow collectors have another explanation?
The Civil War… 150 years ago today… April 13, 1861
April 13, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
We continue our weekly feature of reflecting upon the appropriate 150 year old issue of “Harper’s Weekly” from the perspective of a subscriber in 1861:
“The daily papers today give evidence of what everyone feared: war has begun. Events in Charleston harbor reached a breaking point as both the North and the South claimed the military installations there. But our “Harper’s Weekly” is about two weeks late with reports which I understand is due to the complexity of providing accurate illustrations of the events, certainly a small price to pay for the great benefit of “seeing” the war scenes. I look forward to the end of the month and seeing just what transpired at Charleston.
In the meantime today’s issue has a scene of Point Isabel, Texas, a town apparently on a cliff along the Gulf of Mexico. In the foreground troops are being transported on a paddle-wheeler. Near the back are two military scenes including a boat house at Fort Pickens, Florida, and another the inside of that fort. The cannons they use are huge and the fort’s thick walls seem impenetrable. I had not previously known what the inside of a fort looked like.
I recognize President Lincoln in one of the back page cartoons, his face and stature familiar from an earlier issue on his inauguration. In this cartoon he consults with “Columbia”, who says: “…be sure you’re right, then go ahead!” Yes, our future is in his hands.” With all of the tension in the air, I was surprised to see the double-page centerfold which included various vignettes of American Home Scenes, which seemed in stark contrast to the mood of the day.
To enjoy the images (and some of the text) from this issue, please go to: Harper’s Weekly, April 13, 1861
The Civil War… 150 years ago today… April 6, 1861
April 6, 2011 by Historys Newsstand · Leave a Comment
With the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the Civil War just days away, we begin today a weekly feature of reflecting upon the appropriate 150 year old issue of “Harper’s Weekly” from the perspective of a subscriber in 1861.
The success of “Harper’s Weekly” was in presenting illustrations of the war, as visual presentations–today commonplace in almost all forms of media–were almost unknown in the mid-19th century. The subscriber in 1861 could now “see” rather than just read about the battles and the famous names who lead the war effort. We hope to share with our blog readers that novel experience and how those in 1861 would have reacted as they opened their issue of “Harper’s Weekly” .
I always look forward to my “Harper’s Weekly‘ issue in the mail as this new type of newspaper provides the graphics of everyday life which my daily newspapers don’t provide. What a treat it is to see what is happening rather than just read about events of the day!
Today I received the April 6, 1861 issue, and as per usual, the prints were outstanding. The front page is a nice illustration of the “Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State” about whom I’ve heard much as a key member of the new Lincoln Administration. He looks much younger than his 60 years the article mentions. Other prints inside provide military scenes concerning the inevitable crisis between the North and South, with a print of Fort Pickens in Florida, another of Pensacola Harbor, a nice doublepage spread of various “Virginia Sketches” one showing the huge Richmond Armory & another the frigate Merrimac–a mammoth ship which would be a formidable foe in any naval conflict. A full page is taken up with the “Coats of Arms of the Several States of the Union” which make a fascinating display with their various themes and mottoes. How many will still be part of our Union if war breaks out?
With rumblings of war noted in the daily newspapers I suspect more war-themed prints will find their way into my future editions of “Harper’s Weekly“. I look forward to the illustrations which will put a “face” on the news reports.
To enjoy the images (and some of the text) from this issue, please go to: Harper’s Weekly, April 6, 1861
Collecting Ideas: Charles Dickens…
April 4, 2011 by GuyHeilenman · 2 Comments
An area of collecting interest which continues to draw interest is collecting newspapers with Charles Dickens related content. Whether one’s passion is Harper’s Weekly Illustrated issues containing serialized versions of his writings, issues published by him directly
(All the Year Round & Household Words) , or newspapers with news concerning his travels and/or his thoughts on various topics, there certainly are a host of ways to enjoy this particular area of newspaper collectability.
Although not directly related to the hobby, we recently came across a post we thought our Dickens-collecting friends might enjoy: 15 Things You Never Knew About Dickens, by Emma Taylor. Feel free to share your Dickens knowledge with the collecting world via responses to this post.
War makes “sad havoc” among the newspapers…
April 2, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
This item provides some interesting facts on what war does to newspaper publishing. It appeared in the “Daily Richmond Examiner” issue of February 4, 1864.
First newspapers in North Dakota…
March 14, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The Dakota Territory organized in 1861 encompassed both present-day North & South Dakota. It was in 1889 when statehood was gained that the Territory was split into North & South.
But it was during the Civil War, in 1864 when two solders issued at Fort Union (present-day North Dakota) a newspaper called the “Frontier Scout” Only a few numbers were printed at Fort Union. A bit later it reappeared with a “Fort Rice, D.T.” imprint and a date of June 15, 1865, noted as “vol. 1, No. 1”. It is not known to have continued after 1865.
It was not until July of 1873 when the first permanent newspaper appeared in the Territory, located at the capital of Bismarck and titled the “Tribune“. It started as a weekly but 8 years later became a daily, which it remains to this day. It boasts that it has never missed an issue, although because of a winter blizzard it was forced to reduce its size & one number was printed on wallpaper.
Not long thereafter the second newspaper in North Dakota began, titled the “Express“, printed at Fargo on Jan. 1, 1874. The third newspaper, and in yet a third city, was the “Plaindealer” which published at Grand Forks in 1874 as well.
Entry point to the Rare Newspapers Collectible… 19th Century…
January 20, 2011 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
In the past the History’s Newsstand Blog has featured posts on the upper end of the collectible: “Prices Realized” and “Most Collectible Issues“. We are now taking a look at the other end of the spectrum – (low cost) entry points into the hobby. A few weeks ago we explored low cost issues from the 20th century. This post moves back in time to the 19th century.
The following selection provides a glimpse of the wide variety of 19th century issues available valued at $15* and under. Areas of interest include the War of 1812, religious-themed, youth-themed, snap-shots of 19th century city life, and more. Many more exist on the Rare Newspapers’ website, but others can be found throughout the collectible community as well. The item numbers for each are linked to corresponding images.
Introductory Issue from the 1800’s…
209016 An original issue from the 1800’s to help jump start your collection. This issue is guaranteed to be original, complete, and to be dated in the 1800’s. We do not offer reproductions of any kind! There is a limit of 10 issues per customer at this price. See the images for examples of the condition and look of the issue you will receive. The image shows several issues to give you a sense of the various titles/conditions you may receive, but please know this listing is for a single issue – at a great price. $3.00*
The War of 1812…
207496 COLUMBIAN CENTINEL, Boston, dated during the War of 1812. The issue you will receive is similar to the issues shown in the image – slight wear, minor staining and foxing, etc.. The issue will be dated from during the War of 1812, and will have war related news and news of the day. A great issue to own at an incredible price. $7.00*
From France…
153338 GALIGNANI’S MESSENGER, Paris, 1837. An interesting newspaper from France but printed in English, and featuring a black-inked tax stamp on an inside page. Various news of advertisements. Four pages, nice condition. Note: The policy/purpose of this title was to promote good feeling between England and France, and was highly regarded. $13.00*
19th century publication for youth…
152963 THE YOUTH’S LEDGER, New York, NY, 1887. “An interesting monthly for the Young” as is printed in the masthead. See the photo for an example of the “look” of this title from our archives. This is a nice issue to have from this location and period in history. Six pages approximately 16″x11″. $11.00*
Pittsburgh, PA… just before steel production…
153013 THE PITTSBURGH LEADER, Pittsburgh, PA, 1873. State, local and national news from this era. Interesting to have news of the day from just before steel production hit in full force. See the photo for an example of this title from our archives. Note that the photo is “generic” and the issue you get will not have these specific photos or be of this specific date but will have the format as shown. 21″x17″. Four pages and in nice condition. $15.00*
Exploring the influence of war on domestic Life…
153036 ADVOCATE OF PEACE, (Hartford, Connecticut), 1834. An interesting magazine which has war as its theme, and the value of peace as opposed to war. Note that the photo is “generic” and the issue you get will not have this specific date but will have the format as shown. Forty-six pages, measuring 9″x6″, disbound without outer wrappers. $11.00*
Additional issues priced at $15* and under may be viewed at: Entry Level Newspapers
* All prices shown were valid as of the release date of this post.
One newspaper, nine cities…
December 27, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
“The Memphis Daily Appeal” newspaper was one with a fascinating history during the years of the Civil War. Memphis was a Confederate stronghold up through the Battle of Memphis on June 6, 1862, at which time the Yankees moved in and it became a Yankee city. The “Appeal“, very much dedicated to the Southern cause rallying both civilians & soldiers, was the most important newspaper of the region & was soon famously known as the “Moving Appeal.”
On June 6, 1862, the presses and plates were loaded into a boxcar and moved to Grenada, Mississippi, where it stayed for a few months until approaching Federal troops threatened again, forcing a move in November 1862 to Jackson, Mississippi, where it published until May 1863, when Federal troops again arrived. By this time, the “Appeal” had gained notoriety among Union forces as a rebel sympathizer while it remained on the run. The next stop was Meridian, Mississippi, from where, one issue and two days later, the wandering journalists moved on to Mobile, Alabama, then to Montgomery, and ultimately to Atlanta, the economic heart of the Confederacy. Publication from Atlanta began in June 1863 and continued through July 1864, when it returned to Montgomery, where it published from September 1864 to April 1865. Its final move was to Columbus, Georgia, where Federal forces finally caught up with it. It resumed publication following the war in Memphis on November 5, 1865. During just a four year period this newspaper published in nine different cities. (credit: Tennessee State Library & Archives)