The transnational nineteenth-century illustrated press

This chapter examines the global rise of illustrated journalism in the nineteenth century through a transnational perspective. Following the founding of The Illustrated London News in 1842, the illustrated newspaper format rapidly proliferated, with publications emerging throughout Europe, North America, Australia, and Asia over subsequent decades. The analysis focuses on three interconnected dimensions: the cross-border readership of major illustrated newspapers (particularly The Illustrated London News, l’Illustration, and Illustrirte Zeitung); the global diffusion of the illustrated newspaper format; and the extensive transnational trade in illustrations of the news. These exchanges were facilitated by networks of mobile publishers, journalists and image producers who traversed national boundaries. This chapter argues that these transnational circulations fostered a shared transnational visual news culture that transcended national borders and shaped how audiences worldwide experienced current events.