1860 Chicago Zouaves Drill NYC, Spirit of Disunion, Messina Sicily — Jul 28

🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · July 28, 1860
Complete Issue · New York

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A historically charged Antebellum issue — the Chicago Zouaves performing their celebrated drill in New York, two full-page allegorical prints on the Spirit of Disunion and the Spirit of Union at the height of the secession crisis, and a magnificent view of Messina, Sicily. Published in the summer of 1860 with Lincoln nominated and the South threatening secession, the Union vs. Disunion allegory gives this issue an urgency that makes it a primary document of the eve of the Civil War.

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🪖 THE CHICAGO ZOUAVES — NEW YORK
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🎖️ FULL PAGE — "THE CHICAGO ZOUAVES EXECUTING THEIR DRILL IN NEW YORK"
A full-page illustration of the Chicago Zouave Cadets drilling in New York City — one of the most celebrated military spectacles of 1860. The U.S. Zouave Cadets of Chicago, commanded by the charismatic Elmer Ellsworth — who would become the first Union officer killed in the Civil War just nine months later — had embarked on a national exhibition tour in the summer of 1860, dazzling audiences across the country with their acrobatic, fast-paced Zouave drill inspired by the French North African light infantry. Ellsworth's Chicago Zouaves performed in New York to enormous crowds and rave reviews, inspiring a wave of Zouave military companies across the country that would form the most colorful units of both the Union and Confederate armies. This full-page illustration of their New York performance is a primary document of one of the great pre-Civil War military spectacles — and of Elmer Ellsworth at the height of his celebrity, months before his death at the Marshall House in Alexandria, Virginia on May 24, 1861. A significant piece of Civil War precursor and military history.

🎭 BACK PAGE CARTOON — THE CHICAGO ZOUAVES
A back-page cartoon on the Chicago Zouaves — a humorous commentary on the sensation they were causing in New York. A vivid piece of Antebellum popular culture and military history.

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🇺🇸 THE SPIRIT OF UNION AND DISUNION
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⚖️ TWO FULL PAGES — "THE SPIRITS ABROAD — THE SPIRIT OF DISUNION" AND "THE SPIRIT OF UNION"
Two full-page allegorical illustrations on the Spirit of Disunion and the Spirit of Union — published at the height of the secession crisis of 1860, when Lincoln's nomination had triggered Southern threats of disunion and the fate of the United States hung in the balance. Harper's Weekly — a strongly Unionist publication — here addresses the great crisis directly through allegory, personifying the forces of national cohesion and national fracture in a visual statement of extraordinary political urgency. Published in the summer between Lincoln's nomination (May) and his election (November), these two paired full-page allegories are a primary document of the national anxiety about disunion that pervaded American life in 1860. A significant piece of Civil War origins history and Antebellum political art.

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🏙️ THE CITY OF MESSINA
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🌊 FULL PAGE — "THE CITY OF MESSINA, SICILY"
A magnificent full-page view of Messina — the great Sicilian port city at the strait between Sicily and mainland Italy, which Garibaldi had just conquered in late July 1860 as his Expedition of the Thousand moved toward the Italian mainland. A vivid and significant piece of Italian Risorgimento history and Sicilian geography.

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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 28, 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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