Original CENTRAL PARK NEW YORK CITY Complete Issue 1865 Harper's Weekly Balloon

Complete original 16-page issue of the December 16, 1865 Harper's Weekly, with a wonderful centerfold view of dozens of horsedrawn carriages on Central Park's Grand Drive, drawn by famed artist Alfred R. Waud.

This double-page engraving measures a generous 40 x 57.3 cm [15¾" x 22½"]. It shows hundreds of park visitors in Victorian finery enjoying an afternoon of riding or walking along the road that circles "the great playground of New York City."

Some of the city's skyline is visible in the background, and a balloon floats calmly above the busy scene. It is great mid-19th century view of Central Park and is very displayable.

A passage of text accompanying the engraving describes the Grand Drive as "a spacious Macadamized road for vehicles, with a foot path on either side. It makes an entire circuit of the ground, commencing at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Fifty-ninth Street. In its serpentine course it embraces all the great architectural and scenic features of the Park: the lakes, bridges, lawns, and reservoirs."

The front page of this issue of Harper's Weekly has a print of John Pettie's painting "The Bible and the Monk," with an article explaining the history behind the illustration, when priests of the Roman Catholic Church denounced the possession of the Bible as a sin, and shows "the all-powerful influence and blind submission which priests every where exert over and exact from women."

There are more engravings and articles on the inside pages, including the shipwreck of the schooner Enigma; the catacombs of Paris; the British pirate ship Shenandoah; a view of Elizabeth Street in Brownsville, Texas; and portraits of two men arrested for the murder of a Cuban businessman in a Brooklyn park.

There are additional articles and illustrations as well, plus poems, dozens of advertisements, and a political cartoon titled "The Reverie of the Used-Up Fernandy," — a reference to Fernando Wood, mayor of New York City and a powerful member of the political machine known as Tammany Hall.

Condition:  This issue of Harper's Weekly is in very good, lightly used condition, bright and clean, complete and intact, with no marks, rips, or tears. Overall, in remarkably fine shape. Please see the scans and feel free to ask any questions.

This is the complete, original, December 16, 1865 issue of Harper's Weekly, not a reproduction or modern reprint, and it is fully guaranteed to be genuine.

Here's a wonderful opportunity to own this hard-to-find complete issue with the centerfold engraving of Central Park, signed by Alfred R. Waud.

Buy with confidence! This issue of Harper's Weekly will be shipped to you loosely rolled in a sturdy tube so it will reach you safely. We are pleased to offer it with our unconditional, money-back guarantee.