1871 Harper's Weekly — Thomas Nast Tammany Tiger, Arctic Whaling Disaster, Dec 2
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1871 Harper's Weekly — Thomas Nast Tammany Tiger, Arctic Whaling Disaster, Dec 2
📜 ABOUT THIS PIECE OF HISTORY 📜
This December 2, 1871 issue of Harper's Weekly — complete with its rare supplement — is a collector's powerhouse combining two Thomas Nast political masterpieces, one of the most dramatic maritime disaster images of the 19th century, and a richly illustrated supplement with landscape engravings of the American West and frontier. For collectors of Thomas Nast, Tammany Hall history, American maritime history, Arctic exploration, and Gilded Age Americana, this issue is an exceptional primary source document.
🐯 FULL FRONT PAGE — "THE TAMMANY TIGER STRUNG UP"
The cover delivers one of Thomas Nast's most celebrated and visually powerful political cartoons: "The Tammany Tiger Strung Up" — showing the fearsome Tammany Tiger, Nast's iconic symbol for Boss Tweed's corrupt political machine, finally brought to justice by the figure of Justice herself. By late 1871 Tweed's empire was collapsing under the weight of public outrage that Nast's relentless campaign of illustration had done more than any editorial to ignite. This front page stands as one of the defining images of American political cartooning — bold, displayable, and historically irreplaceable. A crown jewel for any collection focused on New York history, Gilded Age politics, or the history of American illustration.
🗳️ INTERIOR — THOMAS NAST "TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN"
A full-page Thomas Nast political cartoon inside delivers a second devastating blow to the Tammany machine with "To Whom It May Concern" — making this one of the rare issues to contain two full Nast political cartoons, doubling its value for Nast collectors and students of Gilded Age political history.
🐋 DOUBLE-PAGE CENTERFOLD — "DESTRUCTION OF THE WHALING FLEET IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN"
The centerpiece of the issue is the breathtaking double-page centerfold depicting the catastrophic destruction of the American whaling fleet in the Arctic Ocean — one of the greatest maritime disasters of the 19th century. Presented in four dramatic scenes, this engraving documents the fate of dozens of whaling ships trapped and crushed by Arctic ice in the summer of 1871, stranding hundreds of sailors who were forced to abandon their vessels and make a desperate escape across the ice. A defining moment in American maritime and whaling history, rendered in vivid woodblock detail. An outstanding displayable piece for collectors of nautical history, Arctic exploration, and American maritime ephemera.
🦃 FULL PAGE — "OUR THANKSGIVING BIRD"
Four scenes documenting the American Thanksgiving turkey — from farm to table — in a richly illustrated full-page spread capturing the warmth and humor of the holiday in classic Harper's Weekly style.
🔥 "THE FOREST FIRES IN THE WEST"
A near-full-page engraving documenting the devastating forest fires sweeping the American West — a dramatic landscape image capturing the environmental catastrophe that gripped national attention in the fall of 1871, the same season as the Great Chicago Fire.
📰 THE SUPPLEMENT — LANDSCAPE, LITERATURE & A GILDED AGE MARKETPLACE
This issue includes its complete supplement — a rare survival that substantially elevates the collectibility of the issue.
Two dramatic narrative engravings appear in the supplement:
A dark, atmospheric scene of figures amid swooping bats or birds in a shadowy forest or cave — a striking Victorian Gothic illustration accompanying the issue's serialized fiction
A romantic outdoor dramatic scene — two figures in an emotionally charged encounter in a wild landscape setting
Two superb landscape engravings complement the fiction:
"The Red River — Given by a Native Sketch" — a beautifully rendered winter river scene with rushing water, ice-laden trees, and the serene grandeur of the American frontier landscape. An exceptional piece of 19th-century nature illustration
"The Forest Fires" — a dramatic rocky gorge and cliff scene capturing the scale and terror of the western fires, with a smaller station scene inset
Literary content includes:
"Poor Miss Finch" — serialized novel installment continuing the season's most popular Harper's Weekly fiction
"Humor of the Stage" — theatrical commentary
"Ball Situations" and additional editorial columns
"The Devares Story" and "Niagara" feature sections
🗞️ GILDED AGE ADVERTISING — A HOLIDAY MARKETPLACE
The advertising pages — particularly the back page of the main issue — constitute a remarkable and displayable document of Gilded Age consumer culture at its holiday peak:
Tiffany & Co. — silversmiths, Union Square, New York, with engraved storefront illustration
Steinway & Sons — grand, square, and upright pianos, with engraved piano illustration
New York Times — subscription advertisement
Nicol & Davidson, Freeman & Burr — fine clothing warehouses, 666 Broadway, featuring a striking engraving of a caged tiger captioned "What the People Must Do About It" — a vivid echo of the Nast Tammany Tiger imagery on the front page
F.W. Lasar's Son — furs, Russian, American and Hudson's Bay Co.
Starr & Marcus — sterling silver, No. 22 John Street
Gorham Mfg. Co. — sterling silver-ware
Travelers Insurance Company — accidents
C.G. Gunther's Sons — seal sacques, Australian sacques, novelties
Union Adams & Co. — Paris kid gloves, kid and dog skin gloves, P.L. Aubert's, 657 Broadway
Knabe & Co.'s Pianos — Sapolio
Enoch Morgan's Sons Sapolio
Pratt's Astral Oil — oil house of Chas. Pratt
Detroit Weekly Tribune — Will M. Carleton
Babcock Safety Boiler — Wilcox, 31 & 33 Vesey Street
Great American Tea Co. — Getting Up Clubs
KKK Eclectic Oil / Wickes' Bolectic Oil
Weber Piano-Fortes — best pianos made
Guanaco Umbrellas — Bergmann & Co.
Upham's Asthma Cure
Dr. Kennedy's Hair Tea
Carbolic Salve
Charles W. Hassler — Railroad Bonds
🔍 CONDITION & TRANSPARENCY 🔍
Completeness: Main issue with complete supplement included. Pages show binding holes from original bound volume, typical for Harper's Weekly held in library or personal bound collections.
Authenticity: Guaranteed original woodblock printing from December 2, 1871 — not a reproduction.
Condition Report: Presents well for its 154-year age. Natural toning to the newsprint throughout. The Nast front page Tammany Tiger cartoon, the Arctic whaling disaster centerfold, and the supplement landscape engravings are all clear and displayable. Binding holes present along inner margins as visible in photographs.
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.
📦 SHIPPING & PRESERVATION 📦
Housed in an acid-free archival folder with Mylar overlay to protect the 154-year-old newsprint
Flat-shipped with heavy-duty reinforcement to ensure safe arrival of the centerfold and supplement
Fully tracked for your peace of mind
🏷️ TAGS
1871 Harpers Weekly, Thomas Nast Tammany Tiger, Boss Tweed Political Cartoon, Arctic Whaling Disaster 1871, Destruction Whaling Fleet Arctic, Thomas Nast To Whom It May Concern, Forest Fires West 1871, Thanksgiving 1871, Red River Landscape Engraving, Tiffany Silversmith Advertisement, Steinway Pianos 1871, Gilded Age Christmas, Antique Newspaper 1871, 19th Century Americana, Victorian Maritime History
1871 Harper's Weekly — Thomas Nast Tammany Tiger, Arctic Whaling Disaster, Dec 2
$68.88