1860 Adelina Patti Prima Donna, Robert Toombs Confederate, Morocco War — Mar 24

🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · March 24, 1860
Complete Issue · New York

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A varied and globally ranging Antebellum issue — the first published portrait of Adelina Patti as a prima donna, Robert Toombs of Georgia (future Confederate Secretary of State), Moorish life in Morocco during the Spanish-Moroccan War, deaf mutes at church in New York, and a Ceylonese boat in heavy seas. Strong content for opera history collectors, Confederate history enthusiasts, and Victorian global culture buffs.

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🎵 ADELINA PATTI — THE NEW PRIMA DONNA
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🎭 QUARTER PAGE — "MISS ADELINA PATTI, THE NEW PRIMA DONNA"
A portrait of Adelina Patti — billed as "the New Prima Donna" at the precise moment of her American debut, published just weeks after her triumphant New York opera debut on November 24, 1859 at the Academy of Music in Lucia di Lammermoor. Patti was 16 years old at her debut and would go on to become the most celebrated soprano of the Victorian era — the voice that Verdi, Rossini, and Donizetti had written their greatest roles for, the singer whose fees were so enormous that P.T. Barnum reportedly wept when he heard what she charged, the diva whose farewell tours stretched over twenty years. This Harper's Weekly portrait — published in the first months of her professional career, identifying her as simply "the New Prima Donna" before the world knew her name — is a primary document of the beginning of one of the greatest operatic careers in history. A significant piece of opera history and Victorian musical culture.

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🏛️ ROBERT TOOMBS — CONFEDERATE HISTORY
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👤 HALF PAGE — "HON. ROBERT TOOMBS, OF GEORGIA"
A half-page portrait of Robert Toombs — the fire-eating Georgia senator who was one of the most powerful and outspoken voices for Southern secession in the United States Senate, and who would become the first Confederate Secretary of State when Jefferson Davis formed his cabinet in February 1861. Toombs had been one of the most prominent possible candidates for President of the Confederacy — losing to Davis — and he commanded Confederate forces at the Battle of Antietam before resigning his commission in bitterness. He refused to seek a pardon after the war and died unrepentant. This portrait — published fourteen months before secession — captures one of the most consequential fire-eaters of the Antebellum Senate at the height of his political power. A significant piece of Confederate and Civil War origins history.

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🕌 MOORISH LIFE — THE WAR IN MOROCCO
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🌙 TWO LARGE ILLUSTRATIONS — "MOORISH LIFE — ON THE BALCONY" AND "MOORISH LIFE — IN DOORS" — THE WAR IN MOROCCO
Two large illustrations of Moorish life in Morocco — published during the Spanish-Moroccan War of 1859-60, in which Spain defeated Morocco and seized Tetuán. The two scenes — a balcony scene and an interior domestic scene — capture the daily life of the Moroccan people at a moment of military crisis, combining Victorian orientalist fascination with genuine documentary interest in North African culture. A significant piece of North African and Victorian orientalist history.

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🖼️ INSIDE THE ISSUE
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🙏 HALF FRONT PAGE — "READING THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON TO THE DEAF MUTES AT THEIR CHURCH IN EIGHTEENTH STREET, NEW YORK, MARCH 11, 1860"
A half front-page illustration of a religious service for deaf mutes at their church on 18th Street in New York — a significant piece of disability history and New York City religious and social history, documenting one of the earliest deaf congregations in America.

🌊 HALF PAGE — "A CINGALESE BOAT IN A HIGH SEA"
A half-page illustration of a Ceylonese outrigger boat in heavy seas — a vivid piece of Victorian maritime and South Asian geographical history, capturing the traditional seafaring vessels of present-day Sri Lanka.

👶 HALF PAGE — "HOW THEY PUT BABIES TO SLEEP IN INDIA"
A half-page illustration of Indian child-rearing customs — a vivid piece of Victorian anthropological and travel illustration.

✝️ QUARTER PAGE — "REV. HENRY GRATTAN GUINNESS"
A portrait of Henry Grattan Guinness — the celebrated Irish Protestant evangelist and missionary, one of the great Victorian preachers whose revival meetings drew thousands across Britain and America. A significant piece of Victorian evangelical 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 ··············· March 24, 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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