'Scribner's Monthly' 1870--1881: Illustrating a New American Art World

This dissertation examines the illustrations and text of Scribner's Monthly, arguably the most prominent monthly magazine during the 1870s. Initiating improvements in reproduction technology and art criticism, Scribner's played a major role in the development of the nation's art world in the Gilded Age, transforming the reception, perception and consumption of images by the American public.