1859 Saratoga 1777 Revolution vs. 1859 Grand Ball, Panama Gold, Dickens — Aug 20

🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · August 20, 1859
Complete Issue · New York

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A historically rich and varied Antebellum issue — a paired then-and-now of Saratoga contrasting the Revolutionary War cellar of the Riedesel House in 1777 with a grand ball at Congress Hall in 1859; sixteen illustrations of gold discoveries on the Central American isthmus with indigenous scenes; Governor Wise of Virginia; and Dickens on the front page. A significant piece of American Revolutionary War memory and Gilded Age resort history.

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🏛️ SARATOGA — 1777 AND 1859
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🏰 FULL PAGE — "SARATOGA IN 1777 — THE CELLAR OF THE RIEDESEL HOUSE"
A full-page illustration of the cellar of the Riedesel House at Saratoga — where Baroness Frederika von Riedesel, wife of the Hessian General Baron Friedrich von Riedesel, sheltered with her three young daughters and dozens of wounded soldiers during the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777. The baroness's vivid memoir — "Letters and Journals Relating to the War of the American Revolution" — described the horror of those days in the cellar as the battle raged overhead: wounded men dying beside her children, cannon fire shaking the house, and the desperate negotiations that led to Burgoyne's surrender on October 17, 1777 — the turning point of the Revolutionary War and the victory that brought France into the war on the American side. The Riedesel House cellar is one of the most historically charged spaces in American Revolutionary history. A primary document of the Battle of Saratoga's human dimension.

🎊 FULL PAGE — "SARATOGA IN 1859 — A BALL AT CONGRESS HALL"
A companion full-page illustration of a grand ball at Congress Hall — the legendary hotel at Saratoga Springs that was the social center of American summer society, drawing politicians, celebrities, and the wealthy elite from across the nation. The contrast with the Revolutionary War cellar in the companion illustration is deliberate and effective — the same place, eighty-two years apart, transformed from a battlefield refuge to the playground of the Gilded Age. A warm and very frameable piece of Saratoga social history and American resort culture.

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🏺 GOLD DISCOVERIES OF THE ISTHMUS
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🥇 SIXTEEN SMALL ILLUSTRATIONS — "MORE ABOUT THE GOLD DISCOVERIES OF THE ISTHMUS" — INDIANS AND MEXICO
Sixteen illustrations of the gold discoveries on the Central American isthmus — indigenous people, landscapes, and artifacts — a comprehensive and rare documentary of Pre-Columbian gold culture and the archaeological excitement it generated in the late 1850s. A significant piece of Central American indigenous history and Victorian archaeological history.

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🏛️ GOVERNOR WISE OF VIRGINIA
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👤 QUARTER PAGE — "GOVERNOR WISE, OF VIRGINIA" — WITH ARTICLE
A portrait and article on Governor Henry A. Wise of Virginia — the former governor who just months later would preside over the trial and execution of John Brown following the Harpers Ferry raid of October 1859, one of the most consequential acts in the run-up to the Civil War. This portrait of Wise — published just two months before the raid — is an extraordinary pre-event primary document. A significant piece of Virginia and Civil War history.

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📚 CHARLES DICKENS — "A TALE OF TWO CITIES" — FRONT PAGE
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✍️ FRONT PAGE SERIALIZATION — "A TALE OF TWO CITIES" BY CHARLES DICKENS
The continuation of A Tale of Two Cities occupies the front page of this issue — an unusual distinction reflecting the novel's status as the most eagerly awaited serialized fiction in America in the summer of 1859.

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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 20, 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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