"Weekly Market Summary," Harper's Weekly, 1858

"Weekly Market Summary," Harper's Weekly, 1858

The Weekly Market Summary offers an insight of what life was like in the 1850’s. A weekly market summary outlines the important points on a marketing report so someone does not have to read through the whole plan to learn significant information. This summary is found in Harper’s Weekly A Journal of Civilization Volume II, No. 82 and was published on Saturday, July 24, 1854. This would have been readily available to anyone who could get his or her hands on an issue. However, this summary would be read more in a big industrial city. As New York was the biggest industrial city in the 1850’s it is safe to assume it was meant to be heard by this audience. Only those New Yorkers who kept up with the stock market would have paid attention to this section. Since this magazine is read in the city, it shows that a good amount of people within the city were interested in the economy. This section of the magazine helps provide historic background to Herny James’ Washington Square. This shows that New York was a city of constant growth in the 1850’s because its residents were interested in the news of the market. This is a key idea in the beginning of the novel; this growth in New York was the reason Dr. Sloper moved to Washington Square, the setting of the novel. This section of Harper’s Weekly also helped provide background information to later in the novel. This section says, “Cotton, Coffee, Sugars, Rice, Provisions Linseed oil and Tallow have been more sought after, generally at advancing rates”. This shows why Morris Townsend was able to give the excuse of leaving New York to go to New Orleans to get cotton. The growth of New York had a great influence on the actions of the characters in Washington Square.

Unknown

"Weekly Market Summary," Harper's Weekly 24 Jul. 1858. [PAGE NUMBERS NEEDED] Print.

Harper's Weekly

September 17, 2015

Brandon Desintonio-Perez

July 24, 1858

Article