1867 Winslow Homer "Homeward Bound" Centerfold, James Watt, Dickens — Dec 21
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🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · December 21, 1867
Complete Issue · New York
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A collector's issue of the highest significance — the double-page centerfold "Homeward Bound" by Winslow Homer, held in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art; a James Watt front page; Charles Dickens caricature; prairie chicken and squirrel hunting; U.S. Cavalry hunting moonshiners; and an Andrew Johnson jaybird cartoon. One of the finest Winslow Homer issues in the entire Harper's Weekly run.
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🎨 WINSLOW HOMER — "HOMEWARD BOUND"
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🚢 DOUBLE-PAGE CENTERFOLD — "HOMEWARD BOUND" — BY WINSLOW HOMER
The showpiece of the issue — a double-page centerfold by Winslow Homer depicting passengers on the deck of a large ship, returning homeward bound across the Atlantic. This wood engraving — published on pages 808-809 of Harper's Weekly, December 21, 1867 — reflects Homer's direct experience of transatlantic travel following his ten-month stay in France in 1866-67, where he had exhibited his paintings. The scene captures the social world of the ocean liner with Homer's characteristic warmth and observational precision. This specific work is held in the permanent collections of: the Smithsonian American Art Museum (The Ray Austrian Collection, gift of Beatrice L. Austrian, Caryl A. Austrian and James A. Austrian, 1996.63.125), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928, Object Number 28.111.2(11)), and the Art Institute of Chicago. An original Harper's Weekly print — not a reproduction — of a double-page work by one of the greatest American painters of the 19th century. The issue following the two Parisian Ball prints from November 23 — this is Homer's third major contribution to Harper's Weekly in the space of a month, all from his recent Paris experience.
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⚙️ JAMES WATT — FRONT PAGE
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⚙️ FRONT PAGE — "JAMES WATT'S FIRST IDEA OF STEAM"
A front-page illustration depicting the legendary moment of James Watt's inspiration — the Scottish inventor's observation of steam from a kettle that led to his revolutionary improvements to the steam engine, which powered the Industrial Revolution. A significant and charming piece of Victorian invention mythology and industrial history.
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📚 CHARLES DICKENS
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🎭 TWO IMAGES — "MR. CHARLES DICKENS AND HIS FORMER AMERICAN ACQUAINTANCES — 'NOT AT HOME'"
Two caricature images of Charles Dickens and his former American acquaintances — a humorous commentary on the changed relationship between Dickens and American society since his scathing first tour in 1842, when his criticisms of American life in American Notes had caused lasting offense. Now returned for his triumphant 1867-68 reading tour, old wounds were at least partially healed. A significant and witty piece of Victorian literary celebrity culture.
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🖼️ INSIDE THE ISSUE
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🐔 FULL PAGE — "PRAIRIE-CHICKEN SHOOTING IN KANSAS"
A full-page illustration of prairie chicken (greater prairie-chicken) shooting on the Kansas plains — a vivid piece of Western sporting and natural history, published at the height of the great grassland bird's abundance before its populations began to collapse.
🐿️ NEARLY FULL PAGE — "SQUIRREL HUNTING"
A nearly full-page illustration of squirrel hunting — a charming and atmospheric piece of American rural sporting and seasonal life.
🥃 HALF PAGE — "UNITED STATES CAVALRY HUNTING FOR ILLICIT STILLS IN THE SOUTH"
A half-page illustration of U.S. Cavalry officers searching for illegal whiskey stills in the South — a continuation of Harper's Weekly's recurring coverage of the Reconstruction-era moonshining conflict. A vivid piece of Southern Appalachian and Reconstruction law enforcement history.
🦁 HALF PAGE — "TERRIFIC CONTEST OF THE WILD BEASTS OF A MENAGERIE LIBERATED BY A RAILWAY ACCIDENT"
A dramatic half-page illustration of wild animals from a traveling menagerie running loose after a railway accident — one of the more sensational and entertaining pieces of Victorian disaster illustration.
🐓 HALF PAGE — "EXHIBITION OF THE AMERICAN POULTRY SOCIETY, NEW YORK"
A half-page illustration of the American Poultry Society exhibition — a vivid piece of Victorian agricultural and livestock show culture.
🐦 BACK-PAGE CARTOON — ANDREW JOHNSON AS A JAYBIRD
A small back-page political cartoon depicting President Andrew Johnson as a jaybird — a pointed piece of Reconstruction-era political satire, as Johnson's impeachment proceedings were underway in Congress.
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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 ··············· December 21, 1867
City ··············· New York
Item Number ········ 173156
Pages ·············· Complete Issue · No supplement
Format ············· Illustrated folio newspaper
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📦 SHIPPING & PRESERVATION
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• Housed in an acid-free archival folder with Mylar overlay to protect the 159-year-old newsprint
• Flat-shipped with heavy-duty reinforcement to ensure safe arrival of the centerfold
• Fully tracked for your peace of mind
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🔍 SEO TAGS
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1867 Winslow Homer "Homeward Bound" Centerfold, James Watt, Dickens — Dec 21
$191.91