1898 Independence Hall Restored, Hobson & Merrimac Crew, Peace Jubilee — Nov 5
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🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · November 5, 1898
Complete Issue · New York
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A historically rich and varied issue — the restoration of Independence Hall in a magnificent double-page centerfold, Lieutenant Hobson and his Medal of Honor crew parading at Philadelphia's Peace Jubilee, the new USS Maine, Richard Croker and Tammany Hall on the front page, and peace jubilee celebrations in Philadelphia and Chicago. Strong content for collectors of American architectural history, Spanish-American War naval heroes, and Gilded Age political history.
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🏛️ INDEPENDENCE HALL RESTORED
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🏛️ DOUBLE-PAGE CENTERFOLD — "THE RESTORATION OF INDEPENDENCE HALL, PHILADELPHIA"
The visual showpiece of the issue — a double-page centerfold documenting the restoration of Independence Hall, the most sacred building in American democracy, where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 and the Constitution was drafted in 1787. The restoration of the late 1890s was part of a broader effort to preserve the building as a national landmark and reflect the patriotic fervor of the centennial era. Published in the same week as Philadelphia's Peace Jubilee celebrating the end of the Spanish-American War, this centerfold connects the nation's founding to its newest imperial chapter. A beautiful and very frameable piece of American architectural and patriotic history.
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⚓ LIEUTENANT HOBSON — HERO OF THE MERRIMAC
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🎖️ FULL PAGE — "THE PEACE JUBILEE AT PHILADELPHIA — LIEUTENANT HOBSON AND THE 'MERRIMAC'S' CREW PASSING THROUGH THE COURT OF HONOR"
A full-page illustration of Lieutenant Richmond Pearson Hobson and his seven crew members parading through Philadelphia's Court of Honor at the Peace Jubilee — the three-days-of-celebrations marking the end of the Spanish-American War. Hobson was the third most famous hero of the entire war, trailing only Admiral Dewey and Theodore Roosevelt. On June 3, 1898, he had volunteered to command a skeleton crew of seven men aboard the collier USS Merrimac in a near-suicidal attempt to sink the ship in the narrow entrance to Santiago Harbor, bottling in Admiral Cervera's Spanish fleet. Under withering fire that disabled his steering gear, Hobson sank the Merrimac — but failed to fully block the channel — and was captured by the Spanish. Admiral Cervera himself saluted Hobson's bravery. Held in Morro Castle, Hobson was exchanged on July 6 and returned to America to find himself a national celebrity. All eight members of the Merrimac crew received the Medal of Honor. Hobson became so famous that women lined up to kiss him at public appearances. He later became a congressman and was posthumously promoted to Rear Admiral. A significant piece of Spanish-American War naval hero history.
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🎉 THE PEACE JUBILEE
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🎉 FULL PAGE — "THE PEACE JUBILEE AT PHILADELPHIA"
A full-page illustration of the Peace Jubilee celebrations in Philadelphia — the massive public festival marking America's victory in the Spanish-American War and the acquisition of its new territories. A vivid piece of turn-of-the-century American patriotic culture.
🎉 FULL PAGE — "THE PEACE JUBILEE IN CHICAGO, OCTOBER 18"
A full-page illustration of the Peace Jubilee in Chicago — capturing the national scope of the celebrations that marked the end of the war and the beginning of the American century. A significant piece of Chicago and American social history.
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🖼️ INSIDE THE ISSUE
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🐯 FULL FRONT PAGE — "CROKER TO THE PUBLIC"
A full front-page illustration of Richard Croker — the notoriously powerful boss of Tammany Hall, New York's Democratic political machine — addressing the public. Published on Election Day 1898, this Tammany front page captures one of the most powerful and corrupt political figures of the Gilded Age at a critical electoral moment. A significant piece of New York political history.
🚢 HALF PAGE — "THE NEW 'MAINE'"
A half-page illustration of the new USS Maine — the replacement battleship ordered after the destruction of the original USS Maine in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, whose sinking had triggered the Spanish-American War. The new Maine being built while the war it sparked was ending is a significant and poignant piece of American naval history.
🎨 FULL PAGE — "SOME OF THE EXHIBITS AT THIS YEAR'S PHOTOGRAPHIC SALON, PHILADELPHIA"
A full page of photographs from Philadelphia's annual Photographic Salon — a significant piece of the history of photography as art, at a moment when fine art photography was being taken seriously for the first time.
🌍 FULL PAGE — "SCENES OF PRESENT INTEREST IN THE FRENCH CAPITAL"
A full page of scenes from Paris — a vivid piece of Belle Époque French life at the height of the Third Republic.
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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 ··············· November 5, 1898
City ··············· New York
Format ············· Illustrated newspaper, complete in 24 pages
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📦 SHIPPING & PRESERVATION
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• Stored in an acid-free protective bag and flat-shipped in a padded envelope with heavy cardboard reinforcement
• Fully tracked for your peace of mind
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🔍 SEO TAGS
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1898 Independence Hall Restored, Hobson & Merrimac Crew, Peace Jubilee — Nov 5
$36.93