From the exhibition
The Carpet-Bag, Vol. II, No. 23
· September 4, 1852
The Carpet-Bag, Vol. II, No. 23 (1852)
The Carpet-Bag's ornate masthead—featuring a hand grasping a carpet bag above decorative flourishes and paired vignettes—frames the weekly's blend of literary humor and visual comedy. This Boston publication (1851–1853) mixed burlesque, tall tales, light verse, and woodcut illustrations to entertain readers seeking wit beyond sensational melodrama. Editor Benjamin Penhallow Shillaber cultivated a platform for comic sketches and character writing that would launch national careers: Mark Twain's first widely syndicated piece and early work by Artemus Ward appeared in these pages. The Carpet-Bag inherited the tradition of American comic weeklies while establishing itself as a venue for literary humor aimed at an educated audience.
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