Magazines and Illustrated Newspapers 1800s. The illustrated newspaper became a significant news medium in the mid 19th Century. The three major ones in the United States were Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper started in 1855, Harper’s Weekly in 1857 and the New York Illustrated News in 1859. These popular papers brought events, politics, people, and even the latest fashions to a news-hungry public at an affordable price. Best of all, they were illustrated with wood engravings taken from drawings, sketches, paintings and the newly growing field of photography.
