Historedia
AmericasEvent

First issue of Harper's Bazaar published in New York

When
1867
Where
New York City
Episodes
2

Harper's Bazar debuted in New York City on November 2, 1867, as a weekly publication by Harper & Brothers. Inspired by the German journal Der Bazar, it utilized original electrotypes to publish fashion illustrations faster than competitors. The magazine was edited by Mary Louise Booth and initially operated as a repository for fashion, pleasure, and instruction.

Episodes

  1. from 1867, ongoing · New York CityIllustration Advantage via Der Bazar

    Through its partnership with Der Bazar, Harper's Bazar received electrotypes of original printing plates, an ongoing advantage over American competitors.

  2. November 2, 1867 · New York CityFirst Issue of Harper's Bazar

    Harper & Brothers published the first issue of Harper's Bazar in New York City on November 2, 1867, as a weekly fashion journal.

Background and detail

Background. Harper & Brothers was founded in New York in 1817 by James Harper and his brother John, and the firm began publishing periodicals such as Harper's Magazine and Harper's Weekly beginning in the 1850s. The new journal was inspired by Der Bazar, a weekly fashion journal published in Berlin. Fletcher Harper's brothers James and Joseph initially believed they were too busy with Harper's Monthly and Harper's Weekly to launch a new publication, and Fletcher decided to publish it himself; upon hearing this, the brothers changed their minds and decided to publish it together.

Publication Details. The first issue appeared on November 2, 1867, in a folio tabloid-size format. It was published weekly with the subtitle 'A Repository of Fashion, Pleasure, and Instruction.' The partnership with Der Bazar allowed the magazine to receive electrotypes directly, enabling it to publish the latest illustrations simultaneously with European journals, months ahead of American competitors.

Editorial Leadership. Mary Louise Booth served as the editor for the debut issue. The publication was produced by Harper & Brothers, based in New York City. The magazine's ability to stay ahead of other American publications like Godey's Lady's Book and Peterson's was attributed to its access to original printing plates from the German source.

People involved

  • Mary Louise Booth · Editor
  • Fletcher Harper · Advocated publishing the magazine, initially deciding to publish it himself before the brothers agreed to publish it together
  • James Harper · Harper brother who initially opposed launching a new publication before agreeing to publish it jointly
  • Joseph Harper · Harper brother who initially opposed launching a new publication before agreeing to publish it jointly

Sources

  1. Harper's Bazaar Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-08
  2. Harper (publisher) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-04

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.