{"product_id":"1881-ab-frost-football-centerfold-lincoln-monument-nyc-street-blockade-nov-5","title":"1881 AB Frost Football Centerfold, Lincoln Monument, NYC Street Blockade — Nov 5","description":"1881 AB Frost Football Centerfold, Lincoln Monument, NYC Street Blockade — Nov 5\n\n📜 ABOUT THIS PIECE OF HISTORY 📜\nThis November 5, 1881 issue of Harper's Weekly is a collector's prize — delivering one of the finest 19th-century football centerfolds in existence by the beloved illustrator A.B. Frost, alongside a vivid six-scene document of New York City street chaos, the Lincoln Monument, and a richly illustrated journey through the Dutch countryside. For collectors of early football history, A.B. Frost illustration, Lincoln history, New York City history, and Gilded Age Americana, this is an exceptional and fully displayable issue.\n\n🏈 DOUBLE-PAGE CENTERFOLD — A.B. FROST: \"A GAME OF FOOT-BALL — A SCRUMMAGE AT THE CLOSE\"\nThe crown jewel of this issue — and one of the finest football illustrations in the entire 19th-century American illustrated press — is the double-page centerfold by A.B. Frost: \"A Game of Foot-Ball — A Scrummage at the Close.\" Frost — one of the most beloved and technically accomplished American illustrators of the Gilded Age, renowned for his warmth, humor, and extraordinary draftsmanship — brings the heat and chaos of a football scrummage to vivid life in this sweeping, action-packed centerfold.\nIn 1881 American football was still in its formative years — a hybrid of rugby and the emerging American game, played primarily by college teams and still evolving toward the sport we know today. The scrummage depicted here captures the raw physical intensity, the period uniforms, and the controlled chaos of early football with a documentary authenticity that makes this centerfold an irreplaceable primary source document of American football history. Described as one of the best football centerfolds of the 19th century to be had — fully displayable, historically significant, and deeply sought after by collectors of early football history, A.B. Frost art, and Victorian sporting illustration.\n\n🚦 FULL FRONT PAGE — \"THE BLOCKADE OF STREET TRAVEL IN NEW YORK\" — SIX SCENES\nThe full front page delivers six scenes of the chronic and maddening blockade of street travel in New York City — the gridlock, the horse-car congestion, the blocked intersections, and the general chaos of a city whose streets had been overwhelmed by the volume of traffic its explosive growth had generated. A vivid and sharply observed primary source document of New York City transportation history and the daily frustrations of Gilded Age urban life — a problem so familiar it feels entirely contemporary.\n\n🗽 \"THE LINCOLN MONUMENT\" — FOUR PRINTS\nFour prints documenting the Lincoln Monument — a significant piece of American commemorative art and presidential memorial history, capturing the ongoing national effort to honor the martyred 16th President in bronze and stone during the years of Garfield's own assassination and mourning. A prized piece for collectors of Lincoln history, presidential memorial history, and Victorian American sculpture.\n\n🌷 \"IN THE SOUTH OF HOLLAND\" — SIX SCENES\nA full page presenting six scenes of life and landscape in the south of Holland — windmills, canals, traditional Dutch dress, and the flat, luminous countryside that had captivated European artists for centuries. A richly observed and visually engaging piece of Victorian world travel illustration, capturing a corner of Europe beloved by artists and travellers alike.\n\n🔍 CONDITION \u0026amp; TRANSPARENCY 🔍\nCompleteness: Complete 16-page issue.\nAuthenticity: Guaranteed original woodblock printing from November 5, 1881 — not a reproduction.\nCondition Report: Presents well for its 144-year age. Natural toning to the newsprint consistent with age. The A.B. Frost football centerfold, the New York street blockade front page, the Lincoln Monument prints, and the Holland scenes are all clear and displayable.\nI 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.\n\n📦 SHIPPING \u0026amp; PRESERVATION 📦\n\nHoused in an acid-free archival folder with Mylar overlay to protect the 144-year-old newsprint\nFlat-shipped with heavy-duty reinforcement to ensure safe arrival of the centerfold\nFully tracked for your peace of mind\n\n\n🏷️ TAGS\n1881 Harpers Weekly, AB Frost Football Centerfold, Early Football History 1881, Game of Football Scrummage, Lincoln Monument 1881, New York Street Blockade Six Scenes, South of Holland Victorian, AB Frost Illustration, Early American Football Primary Source, Victorian Football Art, New York City Transportation History, Antique Newspaper 1881, 19th Century Americana, Gilded Age Football History, AB Frost Harper's Weekly","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52264012677340,"sku":null,"price":88.88,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0849\/4759\/9580\/files\/8b2fdbd9-il_fullxfull.7926716599_6hkn.jpg?v=1786496618","url":"https:\/\/thekeenantiquarian.com\/products\/1881-ab-frost-football-centerfold-lincoln-monument-nyc-street-blockade-nov-5","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}