The Southern Illustrated News was published weekly (most weeks) from September 13, 1862 until March 25, 1865 by E.W. Ayers and W. H. Wade. Their office was in a Richmond, Virginia tobacco agency -- owned by Ayers' father. The prospectus described "a weekly journal devoted to the dissemination of useful knowledge, embracing literary novelties, historical legends, biographical sketches and the latest current news." The eight-page paper was modeled on Harper's Weekly and Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly.

It was not easy to publish a weekly illustrated newspaper in the Confederate capital. Skilled or even unskilled engravers were hard to come by, so the cover illustration (usually of a Confederate general) and an anti-Union cartoon were often crudely done. The quality of the paper was a constant complaint; printer's ink was scarce and, in 1864, may have been replaced by shoe polish or dye for some issues. On occasion an ad was run for "an Adams Press…in good running order. The highest price will be paid."

The January 9, 1864 issue was skipped because "the machinery in the press room broke." The July 18, 1863 issue was cancelled because "a rise in the river prevented (getting) water for the boiler of the steam engine." On occasion, "the government took over the Richmond and Petersburg railroad for military purposes, and paper (for printing) didn't get through." For August 29, 1863, "by the temporary suspension of the cartel, owing to the treachery of the Federal Government, we are cut off from the news of Europe and the United States."

Mistakes were prevalent. The first picture of Robert E. Lee on the cover of the January 17, 1863 issue was taken from a ten-year old photograph and had his middle name as Edmund instead of Edward. On October 17, 1863, the cover had a current picture of General Lee but with his middle name and birthplace wrong; the corrections were published on November 14.

Sometimes the News was optimistically wrong. Antietam and Gettysburg originally were reported as Confederate victories. In early September 1864, the News wrote: "It appears very evident that the North is sick of the War and quite evident that Lincoln will be defeated." Three weeks later the prediction changed.

In addition to a cover portrait and biography, almost always of a southern general, the News contained a significant amount of literature and a few ads. Its reporting of the war news makes it an especially interesting study for today's viewers.

This collection contains 95 issues of Southern Illustrated News.  HarpWeek’s basic collection was augmented by 20 additional issues from the Newseum’s volume, for which HarpWeek is most appreciative.  Although Frank Luther Mott in his 1939 definitive study, A History of American Magazines, states that the publication continued until March 25, 1865, no 1865 copies have been located to date.

 

 

 

Website design © 2000-2007 HarpWeek LLC
All Content © 1998-2007 HarpWeek, LLC
Please submit questions to support@harpweek.com