Harper’s Weekly Apr 8 1876 – Philadelphia Street Characters, Nast Cartoons, India, with Supplement

Harper’s Weekly Apr 8 1876 – Philadelphia Street Characters, Nast Cartoons, India, with Supplement


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DESCRIPTION

An excellent, complete April 8, 1876 issue of Harper’s Weekly, packed with rich political satire, international scenes, and 19th-century American urban life — PLUS the original supplement, which is frequently missing from surviving examples.

As always, every page is photographed, so you can inspect the entire issue. Please review images and feel free to ask questions.


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🌟 MAIN ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS

⚓ Full Front Page — “The Lexington of the Sea”

A dramatic maritime scene that sets the tone for this historically charged issue.


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🇮🇳 2/3 Page — “The Phul-Bagh, or Flower Garden Palace, Gwalior, India”

A beautifully engraved architectural and cultural scene from 19th-century India — highly collectible for those who appreciate South Asian history and British colonial-era illustration.


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🖤 Full Page Thomas Nast — Two Major Cartoons

Nast was at the height of his influence in 1876, and this issue includes two full-page works:

• “The Haunted House; or, the ‘Murdered’ Rag Baby Will Not Be Still”

A powerful political allegory typical of Nast at his sharpest.

• “The Reign of the Press”

A visually striking meditation on press influence during the turbulent post-Civil War era.

Nast pages are among the most sought-after elements of any Harper’s Weekly.


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🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Full Page — “Philadelphia Street Characters”

A charming and historically important urban ethnography of 1870s Philadelphia.
This page is fantastic for framing, capturing:

Organ grinders

Street vendors

Newsboys

Everyday working-class figures

A slice of American life just before the Centennial Exposition


Collectors of Americana love this one.


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🐖 “Cross Purposes” (Pig Illustration)

A whimsical and humorous 2/3-page scene — buyers seeking lighter, comedic prints often gravitate to these.


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🌍 NOW THE SUPPLEMENT — INCLUDED & FULLY PRESENT

You provided clear photos of the April 8, 1876 Harper’s Weekly Supplement, and it contains very desirable content:


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🐘 FULL-PAGE — “Mounting an Elephant”

A dramatic, nearly caricature-level engraving of an officer being hoisted onto an elephant in ornate ceremonial gear.
This image is:

Highly decorative

Exotic by Victorian standards

Extremely appealing for those who collect colonial-era illustration or animal engravings


An outstanding display print.


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🌍 Full-Page — “Lieutenant Cameron and Some of His African Followers”

A portrait of the famous British explorer Vernon Cameron, shown with his caravan during his Africa expedition (Cameron was the first European to cross Equatorial Africa from east to west).

This engraving alone makes the supplement notable:

Strong ethnographic detail

Explorer portraiture

African historical context

Very collectible for those interested in 19th-century exploration



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🐎 Full Page — “Scenes of Australian Life”

A composite page of horseback riding, camp scenes, and bush life.
This page appeals to collectors of:

Early Australian imagery

Frontier history

Equine illustrations

19th-century cultural anthropology


Beautifully detailed and great for framing.


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✉️ Literary Page — “A Lost Letter”

A Victorian serialized story, offering a slice of period atmosphere.


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💥 WHY THIS ISSUE IS DESIRABLE

✔ Two full-page Thomas Nast cartoons
✔ Full-page Philadelphia street life scene
✔ Exotic India & animal engraving
✔ Full supplement with Africa, Australia, and elephant engraving
✔ Complete, 16 pages + supplement
✔ Ships flat — never rolled

The supplement is a major value-strengthener, as many examples were separated or lost over time.


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📦 SHIPPING

Ships flat, never rolled.
Packed with care.


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📚 CONDITION

VG.
I photograph every single page so you can evaluate condition for yourself.
Please inspect all images and reach out with any questions.


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SEO TAGS

harpers weekly 1876, thomas nast cartoon, philadelphia street characters, india gwalior engraving, elephant engraving antique, african expedition print, australian colonial art, victorian supplement newspaper, 19th century illustrated newspaper, antique americana 1876


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