Woodcuts - Nineteenth Century Woodcut Engravings

In the middle of the nineteenth century, a new form of publication was born, the illustrated newspaper. These were (generally) 16 page tabloid sized publications, prepared on a weekly basis.

The worlds first truly pictorial newspaper, The Illustrated London News, began in 1842. In the United States, the first illustrated paper was published in Boston, Gleasons Pictorial and Drawing Room Companion, which began in 1851. Shortly after this, two New York newspapers that set the standard began, Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper (1855) and Harpers Weekly (1857). It was these last two newspapers that set the standard for illustrated journalism in the US. About half of their pages were devoted to wood engravings and the rest to explanatory text -- and of course advertising.

Both of these New York papers grew tremendously in popularity during the civil war, and both employed very talented artists and craftsmen to produce their illustrations. However, most today would agree that the artwork in Harper's was generally better than in Leslie's.

During the latter half of the 19th Century, Harpers Weekly published many prints by such prominent American artists as Winslow Homer, Thomas Nast and Freddie Remington. In addition, there are many other excellent artists whose names are not as well recognized as these first three, but whose notable artistic accomplishments are recorded in many Harpers prints: F.S. Church, Sol Eytinge, H. Farny, P. Frenzeny, A. B. Frost, H. Pyle, T. Thulstrup, T. Worth, and R. Zogbaum, as well as others.

The illustrations in Harper's and the other illustrated papers were printed through the use of engraved blocks of wood, hence the term "wood engravings" (or sometimes, "woodblock prints"). The artist would draw his illustrations, in reverse, on the surface of a block of very hard wood (usually boxwood). When the drawing was finished, engravers would cut this picture into wood. For larger prints, especially full page (9 X 14") prints, the original woodblock was composed of many pieces of boxwood riveted together. Then, after the drawing was complete, the block was broken into its component parts and several engravers went to work on it, each craftsman concentrating on his speciality: scenery, facial details, trees, etc. When these engravers were done, the blocks were again assembled and a master engraver would run one line expertly into another, attempting to remove all evidence of the junctions. (However, on many wood engravings you can notice a checkerboard pattern of criss-crossing lines, showing where the original blocks were joined). Certain artists would insist on personally overseeing the final touches before printing began.

These wood engravings, drawn by some of the most famous artists of the day and executed by the very best engravers, are considered original art. They are sold by art dealers throughout the country and the prices they bring at auction are regularly recorded in the annual Print Price Index. Many of these "pages from Harpers" sell for hundreds of dollars, and a number of them for several thousand dollars a piece.

The market value of wood engravings from Harper's and other illustrated papers varies greatly, depending upon the artist, the content, and the condition. In general,the prints by Winslow Homer, Thomas Nast and Frederick Remington command the highest prices. "Snap the Whip" a wood engraving drawn by Winslow Homer for Harper's Weekly in 1873, today is sold for well over a thousand dollars by fine art dealers.