Take a Closer Look … The Delicate Details of Woodcut Prints…

April 14, 2022 by · 1 Comment 
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I have had some fascinating conversations this past year with one of our collecting friends who is an expert in woodcut prints. I won’t be a name dropper, however, if he is reading this, he will have no doubt as to who I am referencing. I greatly appreciate the time he took to share his knowledge which has motivated me to pause and look more carefully at every print I encounter in the RareNewspapers archives. My proficiency in this area is sparse and not terribly reliable but I did want to share a few takeaways.

Some artists of woodcut prints would draw on paper and send the illustration to a publisher who would cut the paper into tiny square blocks and have each one sketched onto a square block of wood.  These wooden squares would be handed out to different craftsmen who would carve their block and then the blocks would be rejoined for printing.  Sometimes, when time was of the essence, each craftsman would use carving tools which could create many tiny lines at once. If you look closely at many such illustrations, you can tell these prints have hundreds of parallel lines – indicating the use of these tools.  Occasionally, when more time was available, each line was formed individually – a painstaking process, but one which produced an almost unimaginable degree of detail!

Some artists preferred to draw their own prints directly onto the wood and so they were sent a group of one-inch square pieces bound together with twine. When the artist had finished their drawing, the publisher would untie the pieces and distribute the blocks to the woodcarvers.

Regardless of how each print was created, the detail, craftsmanship and artistic skill needed to produce one illustration is mind blowing. So, the next time you glance through a Harper’s Weekly, Leslie’s Illustrated , Illustrated London News, or handful of other illustrated titles of the “woodcut era”, perhaps you will join me in pausing and giving a bit of deference to these creators of beauty.  Thanks Bill for sharing this delightful insight with me.

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Filed under: Harper's Weekly, Illustrated Newspapers, The Collectible Community, Winslow Homer
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Great Headlines Speak for Themselves… The Sinking of the Titanic!

April 11, 2022 by · Leave a Comment 
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The best headlines need no commentary. While there are many dramatic headlines regarding the Sinking of the Titanic, the April 16, 1912, New York American is considered one of the very best: “J. J. ASTOR LOST ON TITANIC” “1500 TO 1,800 DEAD” (see below). Of course, the striking illustration certainly helps. We also have a nice Pinterest board with Titanic headlines: Titanic

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Filed under: Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, The 20th & 21st Centuries
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Snapshot 1844 – Voter Fraud… “death by a thousand cuts…”

April 8, 2022 by · Leave a Comment 
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Political scientist Robert Dahl defines a free and fair election as one in which “coercion” is comparatively uncommon.

Did voter fraud occur in the 2020 U.S. Presidential election? Of course. To think otherwise would be naive. Some degree of fraud has likely occurred in most, if not all elections which involve an imperfect people. This may seem a bit jaded, but I’m actually encouraged by the degree to which most elections in America have been “free and fair”. Still, complaints regarding election fraud have been documented throughout our history. True? In some cases, yes. Enough to impact the final outcome? It’s hard to know.

One such cry came from Louisiana in 1844, and was recorded in the National Intelligencer dated Nov. 30, 1844 (originally printed in the New Orleans Bee). Truth be told, fraud cannot be stopped. However, for the sake of the confidence of the electorate (i.e., to preserve a free and fair election), every intention must be made to keep it to a minimum – while not inhibiting citizens from voting. Balancing both is no small task – but is worth our ongoing effort.

 

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Filed under: Food for Thought, Post Civil War
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Insight into the mind of Tesla…

April 4, 2022 by · Leave a Comment 
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I am always dumfounded by the breadth of brilliance some well-known inventors of the past possessed.  Leonardo da Vinci, who is credited with the invention of the parachute, the barreled cannon, the Helical aerial screw, the winged flying machine, diving equipment & the self-propelled cart, also painted the Mona Lisa.  How can one not stand in awe? Let’s face it, inventors are often trend setters who give the world around them inspiration as well as practical solutions for common problems.

On Oct. 14, 1893, SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN featured an article by Nikola Tesla which caught my attention.  We think of Tesla as one of the 2-3 most famous “explorers” who contributed to our current-day electrically powered world.  However, in this article, he is using his study of the eye to further his insight into electrical currents.  Below is a fitting quote from the article by this genius from the late 19th and early 20th centuries:

“The day when we shall know what ‘electricity’ is, will chronicle an event probably greater and more important than any other in the history of the human race.” Much ground has been covered in this regard since he made this statement, but most would agree we have yet to arrive.

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Filed under: Food for Thought, Noteworthy Issues, Post Civil War
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Here’s Hoping History Doesn’t Repeat Itself… 1693…

March 28, 2022 by · Leave a Comment 
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They say those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.  I’m pretty sure they only break out that proverb when discussing something horrific.  So it is with The Salem Witch Trials.  On February 7, 1693, THE ATHENIAN MERCURY out of London advertised the book: “The Second Edition of the late TRYALS of several WITCHES in New-England. Written by Cotton Mather”. The ad was “Published by the Special Command of the Governor”. Perhaps he wanted to make sure the readers were not doomed…

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Filed under: Collecting Newspapers, Noteworthy Issues, The 1600's
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Collecting Old/Historic Newspapers: The 1600s & 1700s…

March 24, 2022 by · Leave a Comment 
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At Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers (rarenewspapers.com), we are often asked what types of “old Newspapers” are worth collecting. One of the beauties of the hobby is that the possibilities are endless. While we have our own preferences, once a month we will simply direct readers of the History’s Newsstand blog to an era, theme, topic, etc. for which our collector friends have expressed interest. This month’s focus is shown below. Feel free to email me at guy@rarenewspapers.com with your own collecting preference/s. Perhaps one day we’ll feature it/them as well.

The 1600s and 1700s

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Filed under: Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Common Questions, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, The 1500's, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1600's, The 1700's, The Collectible Community, The Hobby
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The End of Something Bad… The Kickoff to Something Good…

March 24, 2022 by · Leave a Comment 
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In the moment, we are often oblivious to the long-term impact significant newsworthy announcements will have as time goes on. “Henry Ford has made a car nearly anyone can afford” – eventually smog make city -living unbearable and the ozone takes a beating. “Computers can be made both inexpensively and small enough for daily use at home” – pornography spreads like wildfire. “A new substance called ‘plastic’ will revolutionize our lives” – our landfills overflow and our oceans are overcome with garbage which will take many lifetimes to decompose (if ever). However, not all unexpected “consequences” are bad.

The announcement on May 8, 1945 that the war with Germany was over (aka, V-E Day), wildly celebrated throughout much of the World, was such a case in point. Amidst all the exuberance, most people were probably not cognizant of the marvelous “consequences” which would arrive within a year’s time.  Introducing: “The Baby Boomers – 1946 Edition!” Here, have a cigar.

The front page of this issue of THE MORNING CALL (Patterson, NJ) is one of the many reports which helped inspire the creation of an entire generation.

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Filed under: Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, The Collectible Community
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Collecting Old/Historic Newspapers: The Revolutionary War…

March 17, 2022 by · Leave a Comment 
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At Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers (rarenewspapers.com), we are often asked what types of “old Newspapers” are worth collecting. One of the beauties of the hobby is that the possibilities are endless. While we have our own preferences, once a month we will simply direct readers of the History’s Newsstand blog to an era, theme, topic, etc. for which our collector friends have expressed interest. This month’s focus is shown below. Feel free to email me at guy@rarenewspapers.com with your own collecting preference/s. Perhaps one day we’ll feature it/them as well.

The Revolutionary War

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Filed under: Collecting Newspapers, Common Questions, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1700's, The Collectible Community, The Hobby
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President George Washington: “Et tu, John Adams?”…

March 14, 2022 by · 1 Comment 
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Living in the twenty-first century we have seen our share of division… in politics, in culture, sometimes in families. While the era in which we live is not the only time in American history when great division was prevalent, living through it can certainly make person-to-person interactions extremely stressful. With this as the backdrop…

While looking through a NATIONAL GAZETTE for Feb. 20, 1793, I was struck by the following: “On Wednesday last [the 13th] both houses of Congress met in Convention in the senate chamber, when the certificates from the executives of the several states were read containing lists of the Electors’ votes for President and Vice President—The aggregate of the votes for George Washington was 132 for President of the United States–77 for John Adams as Vice President–50–for George Clinton, ditto–4 for T. Jefferson–and 1 for Aaron Burr–George Washington was then declared President of the United States by a unanimous vote, for 4 years from the 4th of March 1793; and John Adams, Vice President for the same period, by a majority of votes.” Perhaps you would agree with me that a snowball would have a better chance of surviving during a heat wave than a President of today with a VP who was the losing Presidential candidate from an opposing party.

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Filed under: The 1700's, The Collectible Community
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They put it in print, 1926 – “With just the naked eye and a glove…”

March 11, 2022 by · Leave a Comment 
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Some feats seem more like folklore than reality. Can a person, unaided in any way, catch a baseball dropped from a plane with a standard baseball glove? If it weren’t for the many witnesses who observed this amazing feat first-hand, who would have believed this actually occurred? However, on July 23, 1926, the New York Times published details of Babe Ruth’s amazing accomplishment – a record setting one at that. How do we know” They put it in print:

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Filed under: The 20th & 21st Centuries, Unusual, Fun & Bizarre
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