1859 Tennyson Poem with Millais Illustration, Chiriqui Gold, Dickens — Aug 6

🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · August 6, 1859
Complete Issue · New York

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A collector's issue of genuine literary and archaeological significance — the front page is a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, Poet Laureate of England, illustrated by John Everett Millais, one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood; twelve illustrations of ancient gold artifacts from indigenous graves in Panama; and a continuing Dickens serialization. Two of the greatest literary figures of the Victorian era appear in the same issue — Tennyson on the front page, Dickens in the serialization — making this one of the most culturally rich issues of the entire 1859 run.

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📚 ALFRED TENNYSON — POEM WITH MILLAIS ILLUSTRATION
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🖊️ FRONT PAGE — "THE GRANDMOTHER'S APOLOGY" BY ALFRED TENNYSON — ILLUSTRATED BY MILLAIS
The full front page is devoted to "The Grandmother's Apology" — a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and the most celebrated poet in the English-speaking world — illustrated by John Everett Millais, one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and one of the finest illustrators of the Victorian era. Tennyson and Millais had collaborated on a series of illustrated poems for The Cornhill Magazine in 1859-60, of which "The Grandmother's Apology" was one of the first and most celebrated — the illustration by Millais being among the most admired of his graphic works. That this poem and illustration appeared in Harper's Weekly reflects the magazine's ambition to bring the finest British literary and artistic content to American readers simultaneously with its British publication. In 1859 Tennyson was at the height of his fame — Idylls of the King would be published later that same year — and Millais was transitioning from the radical Pre-Raphaelitism of his youth to the celebrated portraiture and narrative painting of his maturity. A primary document of the Victorian literary and artistic collaboration that defined the age — an original print of a Millais illustration and a Tennyson poem, in a complete original issue. A significant and highly collectible piece of Victorian literary and art history.

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🏺 GOLD FROM CHIRIQUI — ANCIENT PANAMA
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🏺 TWELVE SMALL ILLUSTRATIONS — "GOLDEN IMAGES FOUND IN INDIAN GRAVES IN THE PROVINCE OF CHIRIQUI, NEW GRANADA"
Twelve illustrations of gold artifacts recovered from indigenous burial sites in the Province of Chiriqui in present-day Panama — a significant and unusual piece of Pre-Columbian archaeology and Central American indigenous history. The Chiriqui gold finds were one of the major archaeological sensations of the late 1850s, as American and European collectors began acquiring the extraordinary goldwork of the Chiriqui culture — cast gold pendants, figures, and ornaments of stunning artistry. Many of these objects would eventually find their way into major museum collections including the Smithsonian Institution and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Published in the same year the Panama Railroad was transforming the isthmus into a transit corridor, these twelve illustrations are a primary document of both indigenous Panamanian artistic culture and the Victorian antiquities market at its most active. A significant and rare piece of Pre-Columbian art history.

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🌿 A DAY IN THE COUNTRY
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🌊 TWO FULL PAGES — "A DAY IN THE COUNTRY — THE PICNIC" AND "A DAY IN THE COUNTRY — AT THE SEA SIDE"
Two companion full-page illustrations of American leisure — a country picnic and a seaside scene — a warm and very frameable matched pair of Victorian American outdoor life, capturing the summer pleasures of Antebellum middle-class America. Together they make a charming and displayable pair.

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📚 CHARLES DICKENS — "A TALE OF TWO CITIES" CONTINUES
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✍️ CONTINUING SERIALIZATION — "A TALE OF TWO CITIES" BY CHARLES DICKENS
A continuing installment of A Tale of Two Cities — making this issue one of the extraordinary cases in Victorian publishing history where Tennyson, Millais, and Dickens all appear in the same newspaper.

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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 ··············· August 6, 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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