Harper's New Monthly Magazine debuted in June of 1850.  It started out republishing a lot of English Literature, but over time evolved into one of America's greatest general interest magazines.

Some of the early articles covered:  an eleven part series by Benson J Lossing on the War of 1812, an 1865 reminiscence of Abraham Lincoln written just after the assasination, John Smith & Pocahontas, Boquet's Expedition, Stephen Douglas writing on the Dividing Line Between State and Federal Politics.  Any topic you can think of - there was probably something written that touched on it.  During the Civil War Harper's profiled the Civil War Generals - Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Rosseau, and Fighting Joe Hooker.  Other Civil War articles covered Sherman's March to the Sea, Railroad Adventure and Big Shanty, Philip Kearny and the Change of Base, Civil War in Texas & in the Wilds of Arkansas.  Still another series of articles detailed Personal Recollections of the Civil War.

One of the great early illustrators was Porte Crayon - He had an 1850's article on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He illustrated the Personal Recollections of the Civil War Series, and later in the 1870's did an illustrated series on the Mountains.

1857 saw an early portrait of Santa Claus illustrating Clement Moore's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.  The 1870's saw an article entitled the Spirit of Christmas Past, with lots of fanciful Christmas illustrations.

Other memorable articles from the 1850's include - Kit Carson, Thomas Jefferson & Monticello, Mountain Man James Beckwourth, two articles on Gold & Silver Mining in Nicaragua, Adventures in Madras, Adventures Among Samoan Cannibals, Ibis Hunting in Louisiana, Sugar Production in Louisiana, George Washington at Morristown, An illustrated history of Mount Vernon.

The period from 1850 to 1900 were some of the magazines greatest for articles and illustrations.  Most of the illustrations were woodcuts, and closer to the Spanish American War in the late 1890's the use of pictures increased.  Frederic Remington was a featured illustrator in the 1880's and 1890's - with many cavalry, Indian, and cowboy illustrations.

In literature, Harper's New Monthly published Charles Dickens' Bleak House and Little Dorrit, William Makepeace Thackery published The Virginians and The Newcombes, Romola by George Eliot was also published in Harper's.

Another great thing about Harper's New Monthly is that it was collected in bound volumes by all major libraries and numerous collectors, thus the abundance of copies available today on ebay.  Any given week collectors can pick up just about any volume of Harper's for anywhere between $10 to $25 each.