1859 Mount Vernon Purchase, New Year's Day NYC, Great Eastern — Jan 1

🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · January 1, 1859
Complete Issue · New York

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A historically rich New Year's Day issue from the eve of the Civil War — written text on the purchase of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate, New Year's Day in New York and colonial New Amsterdam in paired full-page illustrations, divine service at the Academy of Music and St. Paul's London, and the Great Eastern steamship at her moorings. A primary document of American life two years before the Civil War, when Mount Vernon was being saved for the nation and New York was still celebrating its Dutch heritage.

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🏛️ THE PURCHASE OF MOUNT VERNON
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🏛️ WRITTEN TEXT — "THE PURCHASING OF MOUNT VERNON"
Written text documenting the purchase of Mount Vernon — George Washington's beloved estate on the Potomac River, which had fallen into disrepair after decades of neglect by Washington's heirs. The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, founded by Ann Pamela Cunningham of South Carolina in 1853, had launched a national campaign to purchase and preserve the estate as a monument to Washington's memory. By January 1859 the campaign was nearing its climax — the Association would complete the purchase for $200,000 on February 22, 1860, Washington's birthday. This Harper's Weekly text is a primary document of that campaign at its decisive stage, published as donations were being solicited from across the nation. The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association's preservation of Washington's home was the first major historic preservation effort in American history — the model for every subsequent effort to save a historic landmark. A significant piece of American preservation history and Washington memory.

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🎉 NEW YEAR'S DAY — THEN AND NOW
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🎊 HALF FRONT PAGE — "I WISH YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR" — WITH POEM
A half front-page illustration accompanying the New Year's poem "I Wish You a Happy New Year" — a warm and festive piece of Victorian American holiday culture opening the first issue of 1859.

🗽 FULL PAGE — "NEW YEAR'S DAY IN NEW YORK 1859"
A full-page illustration of New Year's Day celebrations in New York City in 1859 — the elaborate calling tradition in which gentlemen paid formal visits to the homes of ladies on New Year's Day, one of the most distinctive social customs of Antebellum New York. A vivid piece of New York City social history on the eve of the Civil War.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁮󠁬󠁢󠁥󠁳󠁿 FULL PAGE — "NEW YEAR'S DAY IN NEW AMSTERDAM IN THE OLD DUTCH TIMES"
A companion full-page illustration of New Year's Day in the Dutch colonial era — evoking the New Amsterdam of the 1600s when the city was a Dutch trading post. A significant and charming piece of New York City heritage and colonial American history.

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⛪ DIVINE SERVICE
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🎵 FULL PAGE — "DIVINE SERVICE BEING HELD IN THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC AT NEW YORK ON SUNDAY EVENINGS"
A full-page illustration of Sunday evening religious services at the Academy of Music in New York — a significant piece of Victorian American religious and cultural history, capturing the use of the city's premier concert hall for popular religious gatherings.

🏛️ FULL PAGE — "DIVINE SERVICE BEING PERFORMED IN ST. PAUL'S, LONDON, ENGLAND, FOR THE FIRST TIME"
A full-page illustration of the first divine service at the newly restored St. Paul's Cathedral in London — a significant piece of Victorian British religious and architectural history.

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🚢 THE GREAT EASTERN
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🚢 QUARTER PAGE — "THE 'GREAT EASTERN' LYING AT HER MOORINGS, DECEMBER 1858"
A quarter-page illustration of the SS Great Eastern at her moorings — the largest ship in the world by far, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and launched in January 1858, at 692 feet nearly six times the length of any previous ship. The Great Eastern had been plagued by catastrophic problems during her trials — a boiler explosion killed five men on her maiden voyage in September 1858 — and she was lying at her moorings in the Thames when this illustration was made in December 1858. She would go on to lay the first permanent transatlantic telegraph cable in 1866. A significant piece of Victorian maritime engineering history.

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📋 CONDITION
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I photograph every page of every issue so you can inspect the condition closely before purchasing. Please review all images carefully and don't hesitate to ask any questions — I'm happy to provide additional detail or close-up shots of any page, illustration, or area of concern before you buy.

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📌 DETAILS
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Publication ········ Harper's Weekly
Date ··············· January 1, 1859
City ··············· New York
Format ············· Illustrated newspaper, complete in 16 pages

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📦 SHIPPING & PRESERVATION
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• Stored in an acid-free protective bag and flat-shipped in a padded envelope with heavy cardboard reinforcement
• Fully tracked for your peace of mind

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🔍 SEO TAGS
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