Biography:

Harper’s Weekly  was an illustrated political magazine printed by the New York City publishing house Harper & Brothers from 1857 to 1916. It quickly became a popular weekly publication in New York and featured prominent authors such as Charles Dickens and William Thackeray. By 1860 it had 200,000 subscribers.
                Thomas Nast, “the father of modern political cartoons” was a cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly.  In the 1870s, Nast drew a series of cartoons criticizing corrupt New York political leader William “Boss” Tweed. Tweed offered Nast a $500,000 bribe to end his attack, but Nast refused. Tweed was arrested in 1873 and convicted of fraud.
                    Harper’s Weekly is famous for its extensive coverage of the Civil War. Before the war, they supported the Stephen A. Douglas presidential campaign against Abraham Lincoln, and held a moderate editorial stance on slavery. However, it aligned politically with Union and the North after the start of the Civil War. In July 1863 it published an article about an escaped slave which included photographs of his back, severely scarred from whippings.  After the war, Harper’s Weekly supported the Republican Party. From 1863 to 1892, George William Curtis served as editor of the magazine.
Harper’s Weekly published its final issue on May 13, 1916.