1860 Beardless Lincoln Political Cartoon, Prince of Wales, Garibaldi — Aug 25

🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · August 25, 1860
Complete Issue · New York

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A historically exceptional and actively collected issue — a back-page political cartoon of beardless Abraham Lincoln with a Black man on his shoulders, walking a tightrope like Niagara Falls daredevil Blondin, published at the height of the 1860 presidential campaign. A comparable copy of this exact issue sold at auction for over $1,300 in 2012. Combined with the Prince of Wales's Canada tour centerfold, Quebec, and Garibaldi liberating Sicily, this is one of the most collectible issues in the entire 1860 run.

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🎩 THE LINCOLN POLITICAL CARTOON
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🎭 BACK PAGE POLITICAL CARTOON — "THE COMING MAN'S PRESIDENTIAL CAREER, A LA BLONDIN" — BEARDLESS LINCOLN WITH BLACK MAN ON HIS SHOULDERS
A back-page political cartoon of Abraham Lincoln — beardless, as he appeared in all images before his election in November 1860 — depicted as the great tightrope walker Blondin (Charles Blondin had crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope in June 1859, the year before this issue), walking a precarious rope with a Black man on his shoulders. The cartoon — one of the most politically pointed images of the 1860 campaign — captures the Republican Party's impossible balancing act: carrying the weight of the slavery question while attempting to maintain political equilibrium across a deeply divided nation. It was one of many cartoons that used Blondin's celebrated Niagara crossing as a political metaphor in 1860.

The racial dimension of the image — a beardless Lincoln carrying a Black man — reflects the antebellum press's complex and often inflammatory engagement with the question of race and Republican politics, as Democrats attacked Lincoln for his alleged support of racial equality. This cartoon is a primary document of the most racially charged presidential campaign in American history, and of Lincoln's image in the crucial months before his election. A comparable copy of this exact Harper's Weekly issue sold at auction for over $1,300 in early 2012 — confirming its status as one of the most actively collected political cartoons of the antebellum illustrated press. An essential piece of Lincoln history, Black American history, and American political cartoon history. Price this as a premium issue.

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👑 THE PRINCE OF WALES IN CANADA
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👑 FULL FRONT PAGE — "HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE OF WALES"
A full front-page portrait of the Prince of Wales — the future King Edward VII, whose 1860 tour of Canada and the United States was the most celebrated royal visit to North America since Washington's own tours. A significant piece of Victorian royal and Anglo-American history.

🌉 DOUBLE-PAGE CENTERFOLD — VISIT OF THE PRINCE OF WALES TO CANADA — INCLUDING THE "VICTORIA TUBULAR BRIDGE" AT MONTREAL
A double-page centerfold of scenes from the Prince of Wales's Canadian tour — including the Victoria Tubular Bridge at Montreal, the greatest engineering achievement in Canada at the time, a massive iron railway bridge across the St. Lawrence River that had been completed in 1859 and was named for the Queen. The Prince's visit to Canada was a triumphant progress through the British North American colonies — drawing enormous crowds and generating a wave of loyal sentiment — and the centerfold captures the pageantry of one of the great royal tours of the Victorian era. A significant piece of Canadian and British royal history.

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🏙️ THE CITY OF QUEBEC
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🏰 FULL PAGE — "THE CITY OF QUEBEC, CANADA, FROM THE TOP OF PRESCOTT GATE"
A full-page illustration of Quebec City from the top of Prescott Gate — a magnificent view of the ancient fortified capital of French Canada from one of its most dramatic vantage points, capturing the Upper Town, the Citadel, and the St. Lawrence River below. A beautiful and very frameable piece of Canadian and Quebec history.

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🇮🇹 GARIBALDI — LIBERATORS OF SICILY
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🦁 FULL PAGE — "THE LIBERATORS OF SICILY — GARIBALDI AND HIS STAFF"
A full-page illustration of Garibaldi and his staff — the commanders of the Expedition of the Thousand who had conquered Sicily and were now advancing toward Naples and the liberation of the entire Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. A significant piece of Italian Risorgimento 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 25, 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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