Alabama Illustrated
In the nineteenth century, the people of Alabama relied on newspapers to learn about the world outside their own hometowns. Prior to the 1890s, the technology did not exist to economically publish photographs in newspapers, so some publishers employed artists to draw and engrave images of places, events, and people. Many of these engraved illustrations, which accompanied news stories, poems, and short fiction, are impressive for their detail and artistic quality. From the 1850s to the 1890s, more than 250 engraved images of Alabama were published in national and international illustrated newspapers. Alabama Illustrated contains nearly 50 of those illustrations from five nineteenth-century newspapers such as Harper’s Weekly. These striking black-and-white images depict city and country scenes of everything from politics and civil war to agriculture, industry, entertainment, and everyday life, providing readers passionate about history and art a unique insight into Alabama’s rich cultural past.
We earn a commission for purchases made through the following links.
Book details
- Author
- James Baggett
- Imprint
- Turner Publishing Company
- Published
- Formats
- Hardcover
- Subjects
- History › United States › State & Local › South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Social Science › Media Studies - Topics
- Alabama history · 19th century illustrations · newspaper engravings · Southern history · illustrated press · historical imagery · print media history
- ISBN-13
- 9781684422760
About the author
JAMES L. BAGGETT is the former head of the Birmingham Public Library Archives and archivist for the City of Birmingham, Alabama, with several books on Alabama history to his name. His recent books include Remembering Birmingham, Alabama Illustrated: Engravings from 19th Century Newspapers and Historic Photos of Birmingham.
In 2019 the Alabama Library Association awarded Baggett the Eminent Librarian Award, and in 2013 the Alabama Historical Association awarded him the Virginia Van Der Veer Hamilton Award for contributions to public history. He has served as president of the Society of Alabama Archivists, chair of the Jefferson County Historical Commission, and as a trustee of the Birmingham Historical Society and the Alabama Historical Association.
James lives in Alabama.
