1860 Meteor of July 20 3 Views, Round-the-World Telegraph Prince of Wales Aug 4

🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · August 4, 1860
Complete Issue · New York

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A historically rich and globally ranging Antebellum issue — three front-page illustrations of the great meteor of July 20 seen from three different locations, a round-the-world telegraph project with Labrador and Greenland expedition scenes, the Prince of Wales in military uniform, the massacre of Christians in Syria, and the Republican Blues of Savannah. A vivid cross-section of Victorian science, technology, military pageantry, and international crisis.

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☄️ THE GREAT METEOR OF JULY 20
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☄️ THREE LARGE FRONT-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS — "THE METEOR OF JULY 20" — SEEN FROM SARATOGA SPRINGS, BROOKLYN, AND LONG ISLAND
Three large front-page illustrations of the great meteor of July 20, 1860 — witnessed across the northeastern United States and rendered by three different observers from three different locations. The meteor of July 20, 1860 was one of the most widely observed and scientifically documented fireball events of the 19th century — a brilliant bolide that streaked across the night sky from west to east, visible from Canada to the mid-Atlantic states, generating a sonic boom and dropping meteorite fragments along its path. The three independent eyewitness illustrations — from Saratoga Springs, Brooklyn, and Long Island — give a remarkable parallax view of the same celestial event from different angles, a form of triangulation that astronomers of the era used to calculate the meteor's trajectory and altitude. This three-view front-page treatment is a primary document of one of the most significant meteor events of the antebellum era and a vivid piece of Victorian American scientific observation. A significant and unusual piece of astronomical history.

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📡 THE TELEGRAPH ROUND THE WORLD
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📡 TWO DIAGRAMS AND TWO ILLUSTRATIONS — "A TELEGRAPH LINE ROUND THE WORLD" — COLONEL SHAFFNER'S TRANSATLANTIC TELEGRAPH
Two diagrams and two illustrations documenting Colonel Tal P. Shaffner's ambitious plan for a telegraph line around the world — running from Europe through Iceland, Greenland, Labrador, and Canada to connect the continents by an Arctic route rather than the mid-Atlantic cable that Cyrus Field was attempting. Shaffner's expedition to Labrador and Greenland — shown in the two small illustrations — was one of the great Victorian technological adventures, attempting to survey the Arctic route for a global telegraph network. While Field's transatlantic cable would ultimately succeed in 1866 on the mid-Atlantic route, Shaffner's Arctic vision was a bold alternative that commanded serious scientific attention in 1860. A significant piece of Victorian telecommunications history and Arctic exploration.

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👑 THE PRINCE OF WALES IN MILITARY UNIFORM
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👑 FULL PAGE — "HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE OF WALES IN THE UNIFORM OF A COLONEL IN THE BRITISH ARMY"
A full-page illustration of the Prince of Wales — the future King Edward VII — in his British Army colonel's uniform, published on the eve of his celebrated tour of Canada and the United States that would make him the most popular foreign visitor in American history since Lafayette. The Prince arrived in Canada in July 1860 and would cross into the United States in September, visiting New York, Washington, and other cities in a triumphal procession that drew enormous crowds. A significant piece of Victorian royal and Anglo-American history.

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🖼️ INSIDE THE ISSUE
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🪖 FULL PAGE — "OUR VISITORS, THE REPUBLICAN BLUES OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA"
A full-page illustration of the Republican Blues of Savannah — one of the oldest and most celebrated militia companies in the South, visiting New York in a gesture of sectional goodwill that was becoming increasingly rare as the secession crisis deepened. The Republican Blues — founded in 1808 — would fight for the Confederacy just nine months after this issue. A poignant piece of Civil War precursor history.

⚔️ THREE ILLUSTRATIONS — "THE MASSACRE OF CHRISTIANS IN SYRIA" — BEYROUT, TYRE, AND SIDON
Three illustrations of the Syrian massacre of 1860 — the violent attacks on Christian communities in Mount Lebanon and Damascus by Druze forces in May-July 1860, which killed between 7,000 and 12,000 Christians and triggered a French military intervention. The three scenes of Beirut, Tyre, and Sidon capture the ancient cities of the Levant at a moment of catastrophic religious violence. A significant piece of Middle Eastern and Christian history.

🏰 HALF PAGE — "BETTEDIN, MOUNT LEBANON, THE RESIDENCE OF THE DRUSE EMIR"
A half-page illustration of the Beiteddine Palace in Mount Lebanon — the spectacular 19th-century palace of the Druze emirs, now one of the finest examples of Lebanese architecture. A significant piece of Levantine architectural and political 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 ··············· August 4, 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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