What do Mathew Brady, Santa Claus, Little Dorrit, Wild Bill Hickok, Winslow Homer, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, Mark Twain, and Boss Tweed hold in common? All debuted before a national audience in monthly or weekly magazines published by Harper & Brothers between 1850 and 1870. Beyond such firsts, the firm's magazines themselves stand as landmarks in American mass media history. By closely associating word and image, Harper's New Monthly Magazine (1850) and its spin-off, Harper's Weekly (1857), set the course for general magazines for generations to come. In so doing, they fundamentally, if unintentionally, fostered American literature.

"A TENDER TO OUR BUSINESS"

Quickly growing from its 1817 foundation in New York City to become the nation's top book publisher, Harper & Brothers brought to its magazines much organizational experience. By each...