1896 Naval Maneuvers Centerfold, Boston Public Library Murals, McKinley — Oct 10

🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · October 10, 1896
Complete Issue · New York

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A varied Gilded Age issue — a dramatic naval maneuvers double-page centerfold with "Man Overboard" signals, Puvis de Chavannes's celebrated new murals for the Boston Public Library, McKinley receiving visitors at Canton, The Geisha at Daly's Theatre, an American desert sandstorm, and moose near Quebec's Lake Kippewa. Strong content for naval history collectors, art history enthusiasts, and McKinley presidential history buffs.

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⚓ NAVAL MANEUVERS — "MAN OVERBOARD"
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🚢 DOUBLE-PAGE CENTERFOLD — "NAVAL MANEUVERS ON THE NORTH ATLANTIC STATION — THE FLAG SHIP SIGNALS 'MAN OVERBOARD'"
A dramatic double-page centerfold of the U.S. Navy's North Atlantic Squadron during maneuvers — the flagship signaling "Man Overboard" in one of the most tense and human moments of naval drill. These North Atlantic maneuvers were part of the intensive training program that was preparing the new steel Navy for the combat it would face in the Spanish-American War of 1898. A vivid and very frameable piece of American naval history.

🚢 FULL PAGE — "NAVAL MANEUVERS ON THE NORTH ATLANTIC STATION — LANDING DRILL AT FISHERS ISLAND"
A full-page illustration of the naval landing drill at Fishers Island — documenting the amphibious training that would prove critical at Cuba and the Philippines just two years later. A significant piece of American military and naval history.

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🎨 PUVIS DE CHAVANNES — BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
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🖼️ HALF PAGE — "M. PUVIS DE CHAVANNES'S NEW PANELS FOR THE STAIRCASE HALL OF THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY"
A half-page illustration of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes's new mural panels for the Boston Public Library — one of the greatest commissions in the history of American public art. The McKim, Mead & White Boston Public Library building, opened in 1895, had assembled the finest American and European artists of the era to decorate its interior — John Singer Sargent's "Triumph of Religion" murals, Augustus Saint-Gaudens's decorative work, and Puvis de Chavannes's allegorical panels for the grand staircase hall. Puvis de Chavannes — the greatest French mural painter of the 19th century, whose work influenced Seurat, Gauguin, and Matisse — created the nine panels depicting the Muses of Inspiration for the Boston library, which are considered among the finest examples of French decorative painting in an American public building. A significant piece of American art history and Boston architectural history.

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🗳️ McKINLEY AT CANTON
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🏛️ TWO-THIRDS PAGE — "MR. McKINLEY RECEIVING CALLERS AT HIS HOME, IN CANTON, OHIO"
A two-thirds page illustration of McKinley's famous front porch campaign — receiving delegations of voters at his Canton home in the final weeks of the 1896 presidential campaign. A significant piece of American presidential campaign history.

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🖼️ INSIDE THE ISSUE
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🎭 FULL PAGE — "SCENES FROM THE MUSICAL COMEDY 'THE GEISHA' AS PERFORMED AT DALY'S THEATRE, NEW YORK CITY"
A full-page illustration of The Geisha — the enormously popular British musical comedy by Sidney Jones that had opened in London in 1896 and was taking New York by storm, reflecting the era's fascination with Japanese culture and aesthetics. A significant piece of Victorian American theatrical history.

🌪️ FULL PAGE — "A SAND STORM OF THE AMERICAN DESERT"
A dramatic full-page illustration of an American desert sandstorm — a vivid piece of Western American natural history and landscape illustration.

🫎 HALF PAGE — "THE MOOSE YARD NEAR LAKE KIPPEWA, IN QUEBEC"
A half-page illustration of a moose yard near Lake Kippewa in Quebec — a vivid piece of Canadian wilderness and natural history illustration, capturing the Canadian boreal forest in one of its most dramatic wildlife settings.

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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 ··············· October 10, 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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