1881 Nast "Oh the Degradation," New US Senate Portraits, Watercolor Exhibition — Feb 5
$38.98
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1881 Nast "Oh the Degradation," New US Senate Portraits, Watercolor Exhibition — Feb 5
📜 ABOUT THIS PIECE OF HISTORY 📜
This February 5, 1881 issue of Harper's Weekly combines Thomas Nast's sharpest political commentary with a landmark American art exhibition, an extraordinary gallery of the newly seated United States Senate, and a beautiful winter seascape. For collectors of Thomas Nast, American political history, Gilded Age fine art, and 19th-century Americana, this issue is a particularly rich primary source delivering both high art and sharp politics in a single remarkable number.
🎨 FULL FRONT PAGE — THOMAS NAST: "OH, THE DEGRADATION OF IT"
The full front page delivers a Thomas Nast political cartoon of characteristic outrage and precision: "Oh, The Degradation of It" — a biting commentary on the political humiliations and moral compromises of Gilded Age Washington, rendered with Nast's unmatched command of allegorical imagery and satirical force. A fully displayable Nast original for collectors of American political cartooning and Reconstruction-era political history.
💰 THOMAS NAST — "OUR REFUNDING WILL ASTONISH THE WORLD"
A half-page Nast illustration — "Our Refunding Will Astonish the World — When We Launch Our New Bonds" — delivers a second sharp Nast commentary on the financial politics of the era, targeting the government's bond refunding program with the sardonic wit that made Nast the most feared illustrator in American political life. Two Nast images in a single issue make this a particularly prized find for Nast collectors.
🏛️ THE NEW SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES — THIRTEEN PORTRAITS
This issue contains an exceptional documentary record of the newly seated United States Senate — thirteen individual portraits spread across two separate groupings of four and nine — making it one of the most comprehensive single-issue portrait records of the American Senate in the Harper's Weekly run. For collectors of American political history, congressional history, and Gilded Age portraiture, this concentration of Senate portraiture in a single issue is rare and significant. An outstanding primary source for genealogical researchers, political historians, and collectors of 19th-century American government history.
🖼️ DOUBLE-PAGE CENTERFOLD — "FOURTEENTH EXHIBITION OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLORS"
The visual centerpiece of the issue is the sweeping double-page centerfold documenting the Fourteenth Annual Exhibition of the American Society of Painters in Water Colors — one of the most prestigious fine art exhibitions of the Gilded Age. The centerfold showcases multiple works from the exhibition, anchored by "Twilight" by F.S. Church — one of the most celebrated American painters of the era, known for his luminous and evocative natural scenes. A primary source document of the American Watercolor Society's history and the state of American fine art in 1881, of exceptional interest to collectors of American art history, Victorian fine art, and the Hudson River School tradition.
🌊 "WINTER LIFE BY THE SEA"
A full-page illustration of winter coastal life — capturing the austere beauty and quiet drama of the American seashore in the deep of winter, with the lonely grandeur of gray water, wind-scoured beaches, and the hardy souls who make their lives beside the cold sea. A beautifully rendered and fully displayable piece of Victorian coastal illustration.
🔍 CONDITION & TRANSPARENCY 🔍
Completeness: Complete 16-page issue.
Authenticity: Guaranteed original woodblock printing from February 5, 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 Senate portrait pages, the watercolor exhibition centerfold, and the winter seascape 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 Oh The Degradation, New US Senate Portraits 1881, American Senate 1881 History, Watercolor Exhibition American Society 1881, F.S. Church Twilight Painting, Thomas Nast Bond Refunding Cartoon, Winter Life by the Sea, Gilded Age Fine Art, American Watercolor Society History, Antique Newspaper 1881, 19th Century Americana, Gilded Age Political Cartoon, Congressional Portrait History, Victorian American Art Exhibition
1881 Nast "Oh the Degradation," New US Senate Portraits, Watercolor Exhibition — Feb 5
$38.98