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A sensationalistic tabloid...
A sensationalistic tabloid...
Item # 697576
October 23, 1897
THE ILLUSTRATED POLICE NEWS, Boston, Oct. 23, 1897
* Rare illustrated publication
Although earlier in its distance this was a more bonafide police & law enforcement newspaper, but by this time it had devolved into a sensationalistic tabloid reporting bizarre and over-the-top antics.
The full front page is a print captioned: "Give Me The Gun, Billy--Nettie Waller, a Skirt Dancer, at Klondike, Tackles a bad man who is shooting at the Footlights."
Other prints include: "Fought a Masked Burglar" "Frank Hinkey Gets Knocked Out" "She Shot See Neighbor" "Butting Match in the Street" and more.
The nice, tipped-in doublepage centerfold has a great boxing theme.
Sixteen pages, nice condition.
AI notes: The Illustrated Police News was a Boston-based weekly periodical published roughly from the 1860s to the early 1900s, officially titled The Illustrated Police News, Law‑Courts and Weekly Record. Produced by the Illustrated Police News Publishing Company, it focused on crime, legal proceedings, domestic scandals, and sensational events, often accompanied by vivid illustrations of court scenes, criminal acts, and social misdeeds. Editors such as John Stetson and A. H. Millett shaped its content, which blended factual reporting with sensationalized narratives aimed at a wide readership. The paper exemplified 19th-century American “true crime” journalism, reflecting both the era’s fascination with crime and the visual appeal of illustrated weeklies. Its issues, now occasionally digitized or found in rare book collections, provide historians and researchers with insight into Boston’s legal culture, popular media, and the rise of illustrated tabloid-style newspapers, though its sensational style means some reports may exaggerate or dramatize events.
Category: Post-Civil War
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