1867 Thomas Nast Emancipation Proclamation, Frederick Douglass Letter — Jan 12
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🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · January 12, 1867
Complete Issue · New York
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One of the most historically significant issues in the entire 1867 run — a Thomas Nast full-page illustration on the Civil Rights Bill and Emancipation Proclamation, a letter to the editor containing a remarkable eyewitness account of Frederick Douglass on a railroad train, New York street festivities, the Prince Imperial of France, monuments to Jackson and Vicksburg, New York foundlings, and ice skating. A primary document of Reconstruction-era civil rights at its most urgent and eloquent.
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✊ THOMAS NAST — CIVIL RIGHTS & EMANCIPATION
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✊ FULL PAGE — THOMAS NAST: "CIVIL RIGHTS BILL — EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION" — TWO VIEWS OF SLAVERY
A handsome and displayable full-page Thomas Nast illustration on the Civil Rights Bill and Emancipation Proclamation — showing two views of slavery, the before and after of emancipation, as Congress was actively debating the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Fourteenth Amendment that would make its provisions constitutional. Nast's visual language was more powerful than any editorial: this two-part composition places the horror of slavery in direct contrast with the promise of freedom, published as that promise was being contested in every Southern state. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 — the first in American history to define citizenship and affirm equal protection under the law — had been passed over President Johnson's veto in April 1866. In January 1867 Congress was drafting the Reconstruction Acts that would enforce it. A significant and very displayable piece of American civil rights history and Thomas Nast's career as the conscience of the Reconstruction press.
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✊ FREDERICK DOUGLASS — EYEWITNESS LETTER
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📰 LETTER TO THE EDITOR — "FREDERICK DOUGLASS"
A letter to the editor describing a remarkable encounter with Frederick Douglass aboard a railroad train — one of the most vivid pieces of Douglass ephemera in the Harper's Weekly run. The correspondent writes of being convinced that "there was but one man of his color who could talk as he did, and that was Frederick Douglass," and confesses that his thoughts were "divided between wonder and admiration for his genius and culture, and wonder and contempt for the criminal ignorance which persistently endeavors to withhold from him and his race the rightful appurtenances of their manhood." Published in January 1867 — the same month Douglass was lobbying Congress for Black male suffrage — this letter captures the national fascination with and reverence for the most famous Black American of the 19th century, in the voice of a white observer moved to an extraordinary statement of moral clarity. A significant primary document of Frederick Douglass's public presence and impact.
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🖼️ INSIDE THE ISSUE
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🎉 FULL PAGE — "HOLIDAY STREET FANTASTICALS IN NEW YORK CITY"
A full-page illustration of New York City's holiday street celebrations — the rowdy, carnivalesque street parades and masquerades that were a beloved and chaotic feature of New York's holiday culture in the Gilded Age. A vivid piece of New York City social history.
🗽 TWO QUARTER PAGES — "STATUE OF GEN. JACKSON, WASHINGTON" AND "THE NEW VICKSBURG MONUMENT"
Two quarter-page illustrations of new monuments — the Jackson statue in Washington and the new Vicksburg monument, both significant pieces of Civil War commemorative history at a moment when the war's memory was being actively contested between North and South.
👶 TWO QUARTER PAGES — "THE FOUNDLING" AND "NEW YORK FOUNDLINGS"
Two quarter-page illustrations accompanying an article on New York's foundling children — a significant piece of Gilded Age urban poverty and social welfare history, as the New York Foundling Hospital was just being established.
🏂 HALF PAGE — "FIRST LESSON IN SKATING"
A charming half-page illustration of a child's first skating lesson — a warm and appealing piece of Victorian winter leisure life.
🎉 HALF PAGE — "THE CHILDREN'S PARTY — WAITING FOR SUPPER"
A warm half-page illustration of children waiting for supper at a party — a delightful piece of Victorian domestic and holiday life.
👑 QUARTER PAGE — "THE PRINCE IMPERIAL OF FRANCE"
A quarter-page illustration of Napoleon III's young son, the Prince Imperial — Eugène Louis, who would die tragically at age 23 in the Zulu War in 1879. A significant piece of French imperial history.
🚢 NEARLY HALF PAGE — "THE LIVERPOOL AND NEW YORK STEAM PACKET-SHIP 'CHICAGO'"
A nearly half-page illustration of the steamship Chicago — a significant piece of transatlantic steamship history and the growing Liverpool-New York passenger trade.
📈 ONE-THIRD PAGE — "A GROUP ON THE STAIRWAY OF THE 'LONG ROOM,' AT THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE"
A one-third page illustration of the New York Stock Exchange's Long Room — a vivid piece of Gilded Age financial history and the center of American capitalism.
👥 HALF PAGE — "CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES, ACCORDING TO POPULAR IMPRESSIONS"
A half-page composite of smaller illustrations showing various "types" of American citizens — a significant and complex piece of Victorian American social caricature and identity.
📖 FRONT PAGE — "ISAAC WATTS AND HIS MOTHER AT THE PRISON-GATE"
A front-page illustration accompanying an article about Isaac Watts — the great English hymnwriter and poet, author of "O God, Our Help in Ages Past" and "Joy to the World," depicted at a prison gate with his mother.
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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 ··············· January 12, 1867
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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1867 Thomas Nast Emancipation Proclamation, Frederick Douglass Letter — Jan 12
$123.45