1898 Occupation of Ponce Puerto Rico, Navy Homecoming, Philippines — Sep 3
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🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · September 3, 1898
Complete Issue · New York
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A significant post-war issue documenting three fronts simultaneously — the American occupation of Puerto Rico at Ponce and Guayama, the triumphant homecoming of the victorious U.S. Navy fleet, and American troops in the Philippines as the next conflict was quietly beginning. A primary document of the week America was consolidating its new empire.
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🇵🇷 PUERTO RICO — OCCUPATION AND ADVANCE
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🏙️ FULL FRONT PAGE — "THE OCCUPATION OF PONCE"
A full front-page illustration of the American occupation of Ponce — Puerto Rico's largest city in 1898, with a population of 22,000 and the island's most important commercial center. General Nelson Miles had taken the city on July 28, 1898, marching from his landing at Guánica and advancing through Yauco. The American flag was raised over Ponce's harbor master's building that same morning, and Miles issued his famous proclamation to the Puerto Rican people: "We have come not to make war upon the people of a country that for centuries has been oppressed, but on the contrary to bring you protection." Many Ponce residents welcomed the Americans with celebrations in the streets. Ponce became U.S. Army headquarters for the rest of the campaign. A significant piece of Puerto Rican and American imperial history — the moment Ponce changed flags after four centuries of Spanish rule.
🏘️ FULL PAGE — "WITH OUR ARMY IN PUERTO RICO" — THREE SCENES
Three scenes of American troops in Puerto Rico — documenting the swift campaign that swept across the island with minimal resistance. Many Puerto Ricans, resentful of Spanish rule, greeted American soldiers as liberators.
⚔️ FULL PAGE — "THE ADVANCE ON GUAYAMA, PUERTO RICO"
A full-page illustration of the American advance on Guayama — the southern Puerto Rican city occupied by General Brooke's forces on August 5, 1898, as part of Miles's four-pronged drive across the island toward San Juan. Guayama was the site of one of the few sharp engagements of the Puerto Rico campaign, where Spanish and Puerto Rican defenders briefly held off the advancing Americans. A significant piece of Puerto Rican military history.
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⚓ THE NAVY COMES HOME
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🚢 DOUBLE-PAGE CENTERFOLD — "HONORING THE NAVY"
The visual showpiece of the issue — a double-page centerfold honoring the victorious U.S. Navy, whose destruction of two Spanish fleets — at Manila Bay on May 1 and Santiago on July 3 — had won the war. The Navy's performance in 1898 transformed it into the pre-eminent branch of the American armed forces and launched the era of American naval supremacy. A vivid and very frameable piece of American naval history.
🚢 TWO PAGES — "THE HOMECOMING OF THE FLEET"
Two pages documenting the triumphant return of the U.S. fleet — the ships and crews that had annihilated Spanish sea power in two oceans, now returning to their home ports to the cheers of a grateful nation.
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🌏 THE PHILIPPINES
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🇵🇭 FULL PAGE — "OUR ARMY IN THE PHILIPPINES"
A full page of illustrations of American forces in the Philippines — where the occupation of Manila was already generating friction with Filipino independence fighters under Emilio Aguinaldo, whose forces had fought alongside the Americans against Spain and now found themselves facing a new colonial power. The Philippine-American War, one of the most brutal conflicts in American history, would break out in February 1899. This illustration captures American troops in the Philippines just months before that catastrophe began.
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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 ··············· September 3, 1898
City ··············· New York
Format ············· Illustrated newspaper, complete in 24 pages
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📦 SHIPPING & PRESERVATION
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• Housed in an acid-free archival folder with Mylar overlay to protect the 128-year-old newsprint
• Flat-shipped with heavy-duty reinforcement to ensure safe arrival of the centerfold
• Fully tracked for your peace of mind
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🔍 SEO TAGS
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1898 Occupation of Ponce Puerto Rico, Navy Homecoming, Philippines — Sep 3
$43.21