ILLUSTRATIONS FROM Harper’s Weekly Newspaper And Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper PROCESSED BY HEATHER SAYRE 2004 MEMPHIS AND SHELBY COUNTY ROOM Memphis/Shelby County Public Library & Information Center 3030 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38111 SCOPE AND PROVENANCE The History Department has over many years collected print and photographic materials on the history of Memphis, Shelby County and the immediate Mississippi River area. This collection of Harper’s Newspaper and Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper prints, along with some photographs from 19th century publications, provides visual documentation of the Memphis area prior to the period when photography became the common means of depicting events and places. Many of the earliest prints provide our only visual record of Memphis for the period prior to the Civil War. All reflect the significance of the Mississippi River in the life and commerce of this area. Many of the Harper and Leslie prints show Civil War battles and engagements in Tennessee and the surrounding region. Of particular interest are the images showing the naval battle at Memphis between the Union and Confederate fleets. Following defeat of the Confederate gunboat flotilla by the Union naval force, Memphis surrendered to the Federal command, which avoided a land battle for possession of the city. Another important group of images show flooding on the Mississippi River, as well as government efforts to stabilize the River banks. Images of the devastating yellow fever epidemic of 1878 provide the only visuals for that terrible event, which had such a dramatic impact on the life of Memphis. Other sketches depict important buildings and significant public events that took place in Memphis. These prints, which have been purchased over the years by the History Department, provide important visual documentation of this city and its surrounding territory. Illustrations From Harper’s Weekly Newspaper and Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper Folder 1 Memphis Levee Scenes 18 items Item 1a. Harper’s Weekly, March 15, 1862 & April, 1862. Three sketches under the label “Memphis Before the War” include : Old Battery at the Navy Yard Steamboat Landing The Cotton Levee Item 1b. Duplicate. Harper’s History of the Great Rebellion, April 1862. Item 1c. Duplicate. Item 1d. Duplicate, hand-colored. Item 1e. Duplicate. Harper’s Weekly, March 15, 1862. Hand-colored sketch. Item 1f. Duplicate. Item 1g. Duplicate. Item 1h. Duplicate. Item 2a. Harper’s Weekly, May 31, 1862. Page contains two sketches: “General view of the city of Memphis, Tennessee, from Hopefield, on the Arkansas side.” Picture has numbers to aid in the identification of the Navy Yard, Overton House, Exchange, Washam House, Episcopal Church, Odd Fellows Hall and Gayoso House. The other sketch is titled “The Eighth Missouri Volunteers charging over the Eighteenth Regulars at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Tennessee,” sketched by Mr. J. F. Goonkins. Note: The newspaper incorrectly identified Pea Ridge as located in Tennessee. The correct location was Pea Ridge, Arkansas. Item 2b. Duplicate. Item 2c. Duplicate, hand-colored. Item 3a. Harper’s Weekly, July 5, 1862. Page contains two sketches: “The Levee at Memphis, Tennessee – Hauling sugar and cotton from their hiding places for shipment north” – Sketched by Mr. Alex Simplot. “General view of Cumberland Gap, Tennessee” – Sketched by Dr. B. Howard; USA. Sketch is numbered for identification purposes. Item 3b. Duplicate. Item 3c. Duplicate. Item 3d. Duplicate. Item 3e. Duplicate, hand-colored sketch. Item 4 No Publisher , 1871. The Storm at Memphis “An excursion with the Chickasaw Boat Club.” Item 5 Harper’s Weekly, March 15, 1884. Page contains two hand-colored sketches under the title: “The Mississippi Levees” – drawn by J. O. Davidson: “A Break in the Levee – giving the alarm” and “Building a Levee.” The article illustrated by sketches, can be found on the reverse, where it explains that “this levee on which you have landed is a great bulwark of earth, grass-covered, solid and compact, a barrier in flood times to the rivers assaults, protecting the rich plantations on either side for 1800 miles, the building of which has cost $20,000,000.” Item 5a. Duplicate Item 5b. Duplicate, hand-colored. Folder 2 Mississippi River Floods 9 items Item 1 Harper’s Weekly, March 1882. Hand-colored sketch, cover of the issue, titled “The Western Floods – Homeless and Adrift.” Item 2a. Harper’s Weekly, April 18, 1882. Sketches include nine drawings, drawn by C. Graham, titled as follows: The Mississippi Floods Plantation underwater at Silver Lake, Mississippi River Fo’ de lor’s sake, Mass’ Cap’n, take us out’n hyah! On the Mississippi, near Catfish Bend Burning of the steamer “Golden City” at Memphis Commerce Landing – near Memphis Village of huts on the levee at Alsatia, Louisiana Harbert’s Plantation, near Helena A-n-y P-a-p-e-r-s Village near Grayville, Mississippi Item 2b. Duplicate, hand-colored sketch. Item 3 Harper’s Weekly, article on reverse suggests a date of 1882. Hand-colored sketch titled “The Floods on the Mississippi – rescue of settlers by night,” sketch by F.T. Anderson. Item 4 Harper’s Weekly, April 19, 1884. Includes three inked sketches under the title “The Mississippi Floods-Scenes at Vicksburg” The Cotton Compress—Southern part of the city Steamboat Landing- from the elevator, looking East The lower part of the City – From Kleinston, from photographs by A. L. Blank. Item 5 Harper’s Weekly, April 19, 1890. Black and white sketch includes five drawings that are on the front and back of the page. All are under the title “The Mississippi Floods.” Refugees coming in to Greenville, from the Back Country Negroes camping on levee above Skipwith, Mississippi – Drawn by W. A. Rogers. Central view of Skipwith, Mississippi after the breaking of the levee. Poplar Street from Washington Avenue, Greenville Mississippi – After the water entered from the North Matressing the Riverfront. Greenville, Mississippi. From photographs by Patorno and Coovert, Greenville, Mississippi Item 6 Harper’s Weekly, April 19, 1890 (most likely a continuation from the previous entry). Page contains five sketches: Construction train hauling dirt to Levee, Sunday March 30 Gin house and cabins on W. E. Mollisons Plantation near Mayersville, Mississippi Constructing Mattresses for government work at Wilson’s Point, Louisiana Vaucluse Landing, Arkansas, Twelve miles below Greensville during the storm” - drawn by H. D. Nichols Refugees’ Quarters, W.E. Mollison’s Plantation, near Mayersville, Mississippi—drawn by Hughson Hawley. Item 7a. Harper’s Weekly, No Date. Five sketches under the title “The Mississippi River Floods – Scenes and incidents along the levees.” View in West Memphis, Arkansas, opposite Memphis, Tennessee Convicts working on a protection levee in Greenville, Mississippi The last train of Greenville, Mississippi A levee outfit on a Plantation above Rosedale, Mississippi, caught in the water from a crevasse – from a photograph by Coovert. Refugees with household effects camping on the levee near Greenville Mississippi – from a photograph by Coovert. Item 7b. Duplicate, hand-colored sketch. Folder 3 Mississippi River Scenes 18 items Item 1a. Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, December 22, 1855. Burning of the Steamers at Memphis. The reverse has an article titled “The conflagration at Memphis” and regards the fire which destroyed the two steamers ‘George Collier’ and ‘Mayflower’ at Memphis. Item 1b. Duplicate. Item 1c. Duplicate. Item 1d. Duplicate, sketch only. Item 2a. Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, January 3, 1857. “Chickasaw Bluffs, on the Mississippi, near Memphis, Tennessee,” accompanies an article of the same title. Item 2b. Duplicate. Item 3 Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, April 11, 1868. Hand-colored sketch titled “Fishing in the Mississippi River, opposite Memphis, Tennessee,” from a sketch by James E. Taylor. Item 4 Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, May 8, 1880. The sketch accompanies an article from the same page. The sketch is titled “Tennessee – Singular Mirage Witnessed at Commerce Landing, on the Mississippi River, on the Night of April 10th,” from a sketch by J. H. Chinn. Item 5a. Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, April 8, 1882. Sketch is titled “Tennessee – Burning of the Steamer “Golden City” at Memphis, March 30th – The vessel drifting down river.” Item 5b. Duplicate, hand-colored sketch Item 6 Harper’s Weekly, March 10, 1883. Nine hand-colored sketches by J. O. Davidson, under the main title “Sketches on the Mississippi.” Effect of change in the Rivers Channel Making a Landing Signaling for steamer Shore improvements Government light Corn-planter’s residence Stock and load Day signal corn landing Item 7a. Harper’s Weekly, August 27, 1887. This black and white sketch which formed the cover of this issue is titled “Protecting the Bluffs at Memphis, Tennessee,” drawn by Charles Graham. Item 7b. Duplicate. Item 8a. Harper’s Weekly, October 4, 1890. This group of drawings is a section supplement that goes along with an article of the same title, “Mississippi River Improvements.” The article can be found on the reverse. There are 8 drawings: Work on Plum Point Reach Weaving sub-aqueous mat At Memphis Reach – Hopefield Bend revetment Stonefleet – Brushmark of revetment completed on left and ballasting in progress Louisiana Bend Completed revetment – river at about mid-stage At Plum Point Reach – sinking sub-aqueous mat – beginning of operations Memphis Reach – Hopefield Bend revetment Item 8b. Duplicate. Item 9 No information. Hand-colored sketch titled “Steamboat Landing.” Item 10 No information. Hand-colored sketch titled “A tow on the Mississippi – from a photograph.” Item 11 No information. Hand-colored sketch that appears to be from a section on Confederate Gunboats titled “Night scene at Randolph, on the Mississippi River.” Item 12 Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War Hand-colored sketch titled “Commodore Foote’s Gun-Boat on the Mississippi.” Folder 4 Memphis Scenes 24 items Item 1 a.