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Of all American pictorial magazines, Harper’s Weekly, was arguably the most important for six decades.T
It was the most widely read magazines during the American Civil War. Though known for its support of the nion cause, Harper’s Weekly was deemed fairly moderate and mostl accurate. It was well known for its graphic and exciting drawings by Thomas Nast,as well as battlefield sketches of the likes of Alfred Waud.

HW was founded in 1857 by Fletcher Harper, and though it was not the first pictorial magazine, it quickly surpassed its rivals including Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. Other competitors during the time included the New York Illustrated News, Gleason’s Pictorial, and Ballou’s Pictorial. Harpers apparently modeled its look after the Illustrated London News. It was sub-titled the “Journal of Civilization”, covering political news, pictures and literature. HW even published literature of Charles Dickens in serial format, from which it gained a wide following.

Harper’s did want to be viewed as a partisan regional journal. Instead, the typical view of the writers and editors of the magazine espoused a moderate-to-conservative Democratic view on most political issues. Harper’s urged compromise on the slavery question. Harper’s object:

“To unite rather than to separate the views and feelings of the different sections of our common county . . . leaving the discussions of our sectarian opinions in Religion, and sectional questions in Politics to their appropriate organs.”

Though starting out as neutral, urging compromise on the salve issue, after the attack on Ft. Sumter Harper’s through its support to the Northern cause and urged military action. It would be nearly two years later when HW would become an outright supporter of Abraham Lincoln, in 1863.