The Carpet-Bag, Vol. II, No. 35

The Carpet-Bag, Vol. II, No. 35 (November 27, 1852)

The masthead features bold ornamental lettering framed by scrollwork, with a hand gripping a carpetbag at the apex—a visual pun on the publication's name. The page includes a substantial woodcut cartoon depicting an encounter with a large pig, anchoring the issue's mix of tall tales and comic sketches.

Founded in Boston in 1851, The Carpet-Bag occupied a distinctive place in American humor periodicals, printing burlesque, light verse, and satirical prose alongside woodcut illustrations. Under editor Benjamin Penhallow Shillaber, the weekly serialized early work by Mark Twain and Artemus Ward alongside contributions from regional humorists and amateur contributors. Positioned between earlier sporting papers and later comic weeklies, The Carpet-Bag helped establish the sketch and cartoon as vehicles for vernacular American humor.