1860 Winslow Homer "Union Square March Day," NYC Tenement Fire — Apr 7

🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · April 7, 1860
Complete Issue · New York

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A vivid Antebellum issue — a Winslow Homer back-page scene of Union Square on a March day, a dramatic tenement fire with body identification on 45th Street, and the Nashville railroad bridge. Homer's nineteenth published work in the remarkable 1859-1860 run, combined with one of the most poignant urban disaster illustrations of the year.

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🎨 WINSLOW HOMER — "SCENE IN UNION SQUARE"
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🌳 BACK PAGE — "SCENE IN UNION SQUARE, NEW YORK, ON A MARCH DAY" — BY WINSLOW HOMER
A back-page illustration by Winslow Homer of Union Square in New York City on a March day — his nineteenth published work in Harper's Weekly spanning 1859-1860. Union Square in 1860 was one of the most fashionable public spaces in New York City — the center of the Ladies' Mile shopping district, surrounded by the city's finest stores, hotels, and theaters, its park and fountain a gathering place for New Yorkers of all classes. Homer's scene captures the square in the transitional weather of early spring — the kind of blustery March day that filled the square with bundled pedestrians, carriages, and the first tentative signs of the coming season. Homer would return to Union Square and its surrounding streets repeatedly in his New York period work — making this early Union Square scene a primary document of his engagement with the urban social life that would define his first New York decade. Just months after this print appeared, Homer moved to New York City permanently, and Union Square became part of his daily world. An original early Homer illustration in a complete original issue — not a reproduction.

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🔥 THE TENEMENT FIRE — 45TH STREET
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🔥 TWO HALF-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS — "TERRIBLE FIRE IN A TENEMENT HOUSE, 45TH STREET, NEW YORK" AND "IDENTIFICATION OF THE BODIES AT THE STATION HOUSE"
Two companion half-page illustrations of a deadly tenement fire at 45th Street in New York — the fire scene and the grim aftermath of body identification at the station house. Tenement fires in Antebellum New York were one of the most feared urban disasters, as the overcrowded wooden and brick firetraps of the immigrant neighborhoods burned with terrifying speed and trapped residents on upper floors. The companion illustration of body identification at the station house is one of the most sobering and human disaster images in this run — a primary document of the human cost of inadequate housing and fire safety in pre-Civil War New York. A significant piece of New York City fire history, urban history, and social history.

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🌉 NASHVILLE RAILROAD BRIDGE
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🌉 ILLUSTRATION — "RAILROAD BRIDGE AT NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE"
An illustration of the railroad bridge at Nashville — a significant piece of Southern railroad and infrastructure history, capturing one of the key transportation links that would become a critical military objective just fourteen months later when Union forces fought for control of Tennessee in the Civil War. A significant piece of Civil War precursor 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 ··············· April 7, 1860
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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