Humanities › History & Culture Magazines of the 19th Century Print Jose Manuel Espinola Aguayo / EyeEm / Getty Images History & Culture American History Basics Important Historical Figures Key Events U.S. Presidents Native American History American Revolution America Moves Westward The Gilded Age Crimes & Disasters The Most Important Inventions of the Industrial Revolution African American History African History Ancient History and Culture Asian History European History Genealogy Inventions Latin American History Medieval & Renaissance History Military History The 20th Century Women's History View More By Robert McNamara Robert McNamara History Expert Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. He was Amazon.com's first-ever history editor and has bylines in New York, the Chicago Tribune, and other national outlets. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on April 08, 2019 The 19th century saw the rise of the magazine as a popular form of journalism. Beginning as literary journals, magazines published work by such authors as Washington Irving and Charles Dickens. By the middle of the century, the rise of news magazines such as Harper's Weekly and the London Illustrated News covered news events with considerable depth and added a new feature: illustrations. By the late 1800s, a thriving magazine industry encompassed everything from serious publications to pulps which published adventure tales. Following are some of the most influential magazines of the 19th century. Harper's Weekly Launched in 1857, Harper's Weekly became popular during the Civil War and continued to remain influential for the remainder of the 19th century. During the Civil War, in an era before photographs could be printed in magazines and newspapers, the illustrations in Harper's Weekly were the way many Americans witnessed the Civil War. In the decades following the war, the magazine became the home of the noted cartoonist Thomas Nast, whose biting political satires helped bring down the corrupt political machine headed by Boss Tweed. Read More History of Newspapers In America By Robert McNamara Frank Leslie's Ilustrated Newspaper Despite the title, Frank Leslie's publication was a magazine which began publishing in 1852. Its trademark was its woodcut illustrations. Though not as well remembered as its direct competitor, Harper's Weekly, the magazine was influential in its day and kept publishing until 1922. The Illustrated London News The Illustrated London News was the world's first magazine to feature numerous illustrations. It began publishing in 1842 and, amazingly, published on a weekly schedule until the early 1970s. The publication was aggressive in covering the news, and its journalistic zeal, and the quality of its illustrations, made it very popular with the public. Copies of the magazine would be shipped to America, where it was also popular. It was an obvious inspiration to American journalists. Godey's Lady's Book A magazine targeted at a female audience, Godey's Lady's Book began publishing in 1830. It was reputedly the most popular American magazine in the decades before the Civil War. During the Civil War, the magazine scored a coup when its editor, Sarah J. Hale, convinced President Abraham Lincoln to proclaim Thanksgiving an official national holiday. The National Police Gazette Beginning in 1845, the National Police Gazette, along with newspapers of the penny press, focused on sensationalized crime stories. In the late 1870s, the publication came under the control of Richard K. Fox, an Irish immigrant who changed the focus of the magazine to sports coverage. By promoting athletic events, Fox made the Police Gazette extremely popular, though a common joke was that it was only read in barber shops. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation McNamara, Robert. "Magazines of the 19th Century." ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/magazines-of-the-19th-century-1773788. McNamara, Robert. (2021, February 16). Magazines of the 19th Century. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/magazines-of-the-19th-century-1773788 McNamara, Robert. "Magazines of the 19th Century." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/magazines-of-the-19th-century-1773788 (accessed April 25, 2024). copy citation