Antique 1800s Peterson's Magazine Civil War Hand Colored Fashion Cover-Framed

Original Victorian-era magazine cover from Peterson’s Magazine, dated 1862, published during the American Civil War. Peterson’s was a leading 19th-century women’s fashion and literary magazine, influential in shaping domestic dress, and etiquette in Victorian America.

This illustrated cover features portrait vignettes surrounding a wooded central scene, reflecting period fashion and wartime sentiment. The image was produced using a steel-plate engraving, then hand colored, which accounts for the subtle tonal variation and painterly finish visible throughout. This method was standard for quality magazines of the era.

Published in Philadelphia, Peterson’s Magazine enjoyed wide circulation in the United States, making surviving Civil War–era covers increasingly collectible, particularly when framed.

~17.75 x 14.5 x 1.25 in


Condition: Minor foxing and age toning to the paper, most noticeable near the edges. Colors remain clear. Frame shows small surface scratches consistent with age.