1881 Nast Citizen Beaver, St. Paul Floods, 7th Regiment Musical Festival — May 21
$38.88
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1881 Nast Citizen Beaver, St. Paul Floods, 7th Regiment Musical Festival — May 21
📜 ABOUT THIS PIECE OF HISTORY 📜
This May 21, 1881 issue of Harper's Weekly combines Thomas Nast's sharpest political allegory, the catastrophic Mississippi River floods devastating St. Paul, the grandeur of New York's most celebrated military armory transformed into a concert hall, and the bookstall culture of the Parisian boulevard. For collectors of Thomas Nast, Minnesota flood history, New York cultural history, Victorian music, and Gilded Age Americana, this is a richly varied and visually engaging issue.
🎨 FULL FRONT PAGE — THOMAS NAST: "CITIZEN BEAVER & STATESMAN SLOTH"
The full front page delivers one of Thomas Nast's most inventive and allegorically rich political cartoons: "Citizen Beaver & Statesman Sloth" — a pointed contrast between the industrious, productive citizen represented by the industrious beaver and the lazy, do-nothing politician embodied by the sloth. In the Gilded Age context of civil service reform, political patronage, and the struggle between productive citizenship and political idleness, this cartoon strikes at the heart of one of the era's central political debates with Nast's characteristic wit and visual precision. A fully displayable Nast original of great appeal to collectors of American political cartooning and Gilded Age civil service reform history.
🌊 FULL PAGE — "THE FLOODS IN THE WEST" — ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA
A full-page illustration presenting four scenes of the catastrophic flooding in the St. Paul, Minnesota area — part of the great Mississippi River flood of 1881, one of the most devastating flood events in the history of the upper Midwest. Entire neighborhoods submerged, residents displaced, commerce paralyzed, and the great river transformed into a destructive force of staggering power — four distinct scenes capture the scale and human cost of the disaster with vivid woodblock detail. A primary source document of Minnesota disaster history and American flood history of great interest to collectors of Minnesota history, Mississippi River history, and Victorian American disaster illustration.
🎵 DOUBLE-PAGE CENTERFOLD — "MUSICAL FESTIVAL IN THE 7TH REGIMENT ARMORY"
The visual centerpiece of the issue is a sweeping double-page centerfold of a Musical Festival held in the Seventh Regiment Armory on Park Avenue — one of the most magnificent interior spaces in Gilded Age New York, transformed into a grand concert hall for the occasion. The Seventh Regiment Armory, completed in 1880 and decorated by Louis Comfort Tiffany and associated artists, was the most luxurious armory in America and one of the great architectural achievements of the Gilded Age. Filled with music lovers and the cream of New York society for a musical festival, the Armory's vast drill floor becomes in this centerfold a scene of extraordinary social and cultural spectacle. A fully displayable piece of exceptional appeal to collectors of New York City history, Tiffany history, Victorian music history, and Gilded Age social culture.
📚 "A BOOKSTALL ON A PARIS BOULEVARD"
A charming half-page illustration of a Parisian bookstall — one of the beloved bouquinistes that lined the Seine and the great boulevards of Paris, offering secondhand books, prints, and curiosities to browsers and collectors. A warmly observed piece of Victorian Parisian life of great appeal to collectors of French cultural history and Victorian book culture.
🔍 CONDITION & TRANSPARENCY 🔍
Completeness: Complete 16-page issue.
Authenticity: Guaranteed original woodblock printing from May 21, 1881 — not a reproduction.
Condition Report: Presents well for its 144-year age. Natural toning to the newsprint consistent with age. The Nast front page, the St. Paul floods full page, the 7th Regiment Armory centerfold, and the Paris bookstall illustration are all clear and displayable.
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 144-year-old newsprint
Flat-shipped with heavy-duty reinforcement to ensure safe arrival of the centerfold
Fully tracked for your peace of mind
🏷️ TAGS
1881 Harpers Weekly, Thomas Nast Citizen Beaver Statesman Sloth, St Paul Minnesota Floods 1881, Mississippi River Flood 1881, 7th Regiment Armory Musical Festival, Seventh Regiment Armory New York, Tiffany Armory History, Paris Bookstall Boulevard, Thomas Nast Political Cartoon 1881, Minnesota Flood History Primary Source, Gilded Age New York Music, Antique Newspaper 1881, 19th Century Americana, New York City Armory History, Victorian Flood Disaster Illustration Sonnet 4.6
1881 Nast Citizen Beaver, St. Paul Floods, 7th Regiment Musical Festival — May 21
$38.88