Lot 687

ANTIQUE 1872 Harper's Weekly Front Page Illustration Woodcut Portrait Of "THE LATE JAMES GORDON BENNETT"

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Lot 687
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ANTIQUE 1872 Harper's Weekly Front Page Illustration Woodcut Portrait Of "THE LATE JAMES GORDON BENNETT"
ANTIQUE 1872 Harper's Weekly Front Page Illustration Woodcut Portrait Of "THE LATE JAMES GORDON BENNETT"
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ANTIQUE 1872 Harper's Weekly Front Page Illustration Woodcut Portrait Of "THE LATE JAMES GORDON BENNETT"

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Estimate: $50 - $75

Starting Bid: $10

(0 Bids)
by The Book Barn
August 13, 2026 5:00 PM EDT
Timed Auction
353 Indian Village Road
Shapliegh, ME, US 07076

ANTIQUE 1872 Harper's Weekly Front Page Illustration Woodcut Portrait Of "THE LATE JAMES GORDON BENNETT". It is suitable for framing. It comes from the June 22, 1872 Issue of Harper's Weekly. It is the front page of a Harper's Weekly showing a portrait of powerful newspaper owner & editor James Gordon Bennett who had past away on June 1, 1872. The Illustration is Titled: "THE LATE JAMES GORDON BENNETT". The page image measures approximately 15 1/2 inches high X 11 inches wide including borders & Masthead. The verso is a continuation of the front page text of his obituary & 3 additional columns regarding the developing presidential campaign for 1872 which would be a contest of Grant vs Greeley.

JAMES GORDON BENNETT (JR.) (1795-1872) was the founder, editor and publisher of the "New York Herald" and a major figure in the history of American newspapers. In May 1835, Bennett began the soon to be powerhouse "New York Herald". After only a year of publication, in April 1836, it shocked readers with front-page coverage of the grisly murder of the prostitute Helen Jewett. Bennett got the scoop and conducted the first-ever newspaper interview. In business and circulation policy, "The Herald" initiated a cash-in-advance policy for advertisers, which later became the industry standard. Bennett was also at the forefront of using the latest technology to gather and report the news, and added pictorial illustrations produced from woodcuts. In 1839, Bennett was granted the first ever exclusive interview of a sitting President, Martin Van Buren. The "Herald" was officially independent in its politics but largely endorsed Whigs & later their Republican successors for president. Bennett switched & supported, James Buchanan in 1856 as tensions rose between the sections and states over slavery & states" rights. He later endorsed Southern Democrat Brekinridge in 1860 among the four presidential candidates in the confused but pivotal general election in November 1860. In the midst of the following Civil War (1861–1865), he supported McClellan in 1864, campaigning for a negotiated peace with the South against a second term for wartime President Lincoln, but the paper itself endorsed no candidate for the unusual war election of 1864. Although he generally opposed Lincoln, Bennett still backed the Northern cause for the Union and took the lead to turn the Republican war president into a martyr after his assassination. He favored most of successor President Johnson, a War Democrat, and his following moderate Reconstruction policies and proposals towards the defeated South, following what he thought would have been Lincoln's gentle hand had he lived. After his death in 1872 the "Herald" gradually lost circulation until its demise in 1967."

Left edge is rough showing removal marks from the Harper's volume it came from, while the other edges show light edge wear. All faults will be covered by the mat when framed. Paper is lightly age toned but not brittle. Overall the piece is Very Good Condition. ALL ITEMS ARE GUARANTEED TO BE ACCURATELY DESCRIBED, NOT DEFECTIVE, & GENUINE.

PLEASE NOTE: We do all our own shipping. We will combine shipping on multiple items, where possible to save the wining bidder on shipping costs. Shipping will be added to winning bidder's invoice for item(s) won. Media Mail postage from USPS will be used for shipping in the United States for those items allowed. Lowest alternative cost shipping will be billed for items not allowed by USPS to be shipped by Media Mail. Foreign winning bidders will pay postage based on their countries small/medium/large Flat Rate box postage rates & weight of the package. Other types of postage are available at added expense at the bidders request. You also agree to pay any applicable taxes and/or customs/import duties. A Tracking Number will be provided to buyer. Insurance is mandatory on packages over $100 USD and will be added to postage charges when applicable.

  • Condition: Very Good Condition

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We do all our own shipping. Shipping will be added to winning bidder's invoice for item(s) won. Media Mail postage from USPS will be used for shipping in the United States for those items allowed. Lowest alternative cost shipping will be billed for items not allowed by USPS to be shipped by Media Mail. Foreign winning bidders will pay postage based on their countries small/medium/large Flat Rate box postage rates & weight of the package. Other types of postage are available at added expense at the bidders request. You also agree to pay any applicable taxes and/or customs/import duties. A Tracking Number will be provided to buyer. Insurance is mandatory on packages over $100 USD and will be added to postage charges when applicable.

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