Harper’s Weekly

References

Images

Black and white political cartoon by Thomas Nast showing a donkey labeled Copperhead Papers kicking a sleeping lion labeled Hon. E. M. Stanton, with trees and the U.S. Capitol in the background.

The Union Christmas Dinner

African American male suffrage

The First Cotton Gin

assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Lookout Mountain, Battle of

Political cartoon by Thomas Nast showing members of the Tweed Ring as vultures with human faces perched on a carcass in a rocky landscape.

Amphitheatrum Johnsonianum—Massacre of the Innocents at New Orleans, 1866

President James Buchanan's justification of his actions leading up to the outbreak of the American Civil War

Harper’s Weekly

American magazine

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Last updated

June 29, 2026

Quick Summary

Black and white political cartoon by Thomas Nast showing a donkey labeled Copperhead Papers kicking a sleeping lion labeled Hon. E. M. Stanton, with trees and the U.S. Capitol in the background. — political cartoon: donkey “A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion,” illustration by Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly, 1870, in which the donkey represents the Copperheads and the lion symbolizes former secretary of war Edwin M. Stanton. The cartoon helped establish the donkey as the logo of the Democratic Party.

Harper's Weekly was a prominent American magazine founded in 1857 by the Harper brothers. It was known for its extensive use of woodcut illustrations and for publishing writings by distinguished British and American authors. During the Civil War, Harper's Weekly, along with its sister publication Harper's Magazine, featured compelling drawings based on photographs, creating a lasting visual record of the conflict. The magazine also served as a platform for influential illustrators like Thomas Nast, whose cartoons were instrumental in exposing political corruption, notably the "Tweed ring" in New York City.12

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Alfred R. Waud
…after joining the staff of Harper’s Weekly magazine at the end of 1861 and went on to sketch scenes of the Battle of Gettysburg, among other significant military actions.
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…after joining the staff of Harper’s Weekly magazine at the end of 1861 and went on to sketch scenes of the Battle of Gettysburg, among other significant military actions.
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Thomas Nast
…from his drawing board at Harper’s Weekly. His cartoons “After the Battle” (1862), attacking Northerners opposed to energetic prosecution of the war, and “Emancipation” (1863), showing the evils of slavery and the benefits of its abolition, were so effective that Pres. Abraham Lincoln called him “our best recruiting sergeant.” During…
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…from his drawing board at Harper’s Weekly. His cartoons “After the Battle” (1862), attacking Northerners opposed to energetic prosecution of the war, and “Emancipation” (1863), showing the evils of slavery and the benefits of its abolition, were so effective that Pres. Abraham Lincoln called him “our best recruiting sergeant.” During…
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Harper Brothers
Harper’s Weekly followed in 1857 and Harper’s Bazar—later Bazaar—in 1867. The New Monthly Magazine serialized many novels and carried articles by leading American writers. In 1925 it became Harper’s Magazine. Harper’s Weekly attracted readers by printing outstanding illustrations, including Thomas Nast’s cartoons, and by crusading…
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Harper’s Weekly followed in 1857 and Harper’s Bazar—later Bazaar—in 1867. The New Monthly Magazine serialized many novels and carried articles by leading American writers. In 1925 it became Harper’s Magazine. Harper’s Weekly attracted readers by printing outstanding illustrations, including Thomas Nast’s cartoons, and by crusading…
Read More

The Scourged Back
Creation of The Scourged Back
…July 4, 1863, edition of Harper’s Weekly, accompanying an article titled “A Typical Negro.” The article recounted the man’s escape from bondage in Mississippi, how he used onions to throw off pursuing dogs from his scent, and his eventual safe arrival at a Union Army camp in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.…
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…July 4, 1863, edition of Harper’s Weekly, accompanying an article titled “A Typical Negro.” The article recounted the man’s escape from bondage in Mississippi, how he used onions to throw off pursuing dogs from his scent, and his eventual safe arrival at a Union Army camp in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.…
Read More