1896 Democratic National Convention Chicago, "Cross of Gold" Cuban Battle Jul 11

🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · July 11, 1896
Complete Issue · New York

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A historically significant issue documenting the Democratic National Convention in Chicago — where William Jennings Bryan delivered his legendary "Cross of Gold" speech just days before this issue — with a double-page centerfold of the Chicago skyline, the Coliseum convention hall, street scenes, and a "Typical Gold Bugs" satirical front page. A primary document of the most dramatic moment of the most dramatic presidential campaign of the Gilded Age.

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🏛️ THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION — CHICAGO
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🌆 DOUBLE-PAGE CENTERFOLD — "THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION IN CHICAGO — VIEW OF THE CITY LOOKING NORTH, SHOWING TOWER OF THE AUDITORIUM IN THE FOREGROUND"
A magnificent double-page centerfold of the Chicago skyline looking north — with the tower of Louis Sullivan's great Auditorium Building in the foreground, one of the masterpieces of American architecture, which had hosted the Republican National Convention of 1888. The Democratic Convention of 1896 met at the Chicago Coliseum, and this panoramic view of the city captures Chicago at the height of its post-World's Fair glory — already the second largest city in America, its skyline defined by Sullivan's pioneering skyscrapers. The convention itself was one of the most dramatic in American political history — on July 9, 1896, the 36-year-old William Jennings Bryan delivered the "Cross of Gold" speech ending "you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold," the most celebrated political oration in American history, and won the presidential nomination on the fifth ballot. This centerfold is a primary document of the city that witnessed that moment.

🏛️ TWO-THIRDS PAGE — "THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION IN CHICAGO — THE COLISEUM, WHERE THE CONVENTION MEETS"
A two-thirds page illustration of the Chicago Coliseum — the massive convention hall where Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speech electrified 20,000 delegates and alternates two days before this issue went to press. A primary document of the physical setting of one of the most consequential moments in American political history.

🏙️ FULL PAGE — "THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — SCENES IN THE CITY"
A full page of Chicago street scenes during the convention week — the hotels, the crowds, the political energy of a city at the center of the American political world. A vivid piece of Chicago social and political history.

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🗳️ "TYPICAL GOLD BUGS" — POLITICAL SATIRE
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🐛 FULL FRONT PAGE — "TYPICAL GOLD BUGS"
A full front-page satirical illustration of "Typical Gold Bugs" — the derisive term used by Bryan's free silver supporters for the Eastern financial establishment and gold standard advocates who opposed inflating the currency. Harper's Weekly — which supported the gold standard and McKinley — is here apparently publishing a satirical defense of the gold bugs, turning the populist insult into a badge of honor. A vivid piece of 1896 presidential campaign political satire and the great gold vs. silver debate.

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🖼️ INSIDE THE ISSUE
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⚔️ FULL PAGE — "THE CUBAN INSURRECTION — THE BATTLE OF LAJAS"
A full-page illustration of the Battle of Lajas — one of the engagements of the Cuban War of Independence, as Cuban rebels and Spanish forces clashed in the sugar-growing heartland of Las Villas province. A significant piece of Cuban independence history.

🎓 FULL PAGE — "THIRTY-FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION, BUFFALO, NEW YORK"
A full-page illustration of the National Educational Association's annual meeting in Buffalo — a significant piece of American educational history, documenting the organization that remains today the largest teachers' union in the United States.

🇩🇪 FULL PAGE — "A BIT OF EUROPE IN DAKOTA — THE GERMAN-RUSSIAN COLONY AT EUREKA"
A full-page illustration of the German-Russian colony at Eureka, South Dakota — a vivid and rare piece of Great Plains immigration history, documenting the communities of Volga Germans who had emigrated from Russia to the Dakotas in the 1870s-1880s and maintained their distinctive culture, language, and architecture on the American frontier.

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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 ··············· July 11, 1896
City ··············· New York
Format ············· Complete issue

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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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