The Pansy

Published by D. Lothrop & Co./ D. Lothrop Co./ Lothrop Publishing Company

This was the journal of choice for youngsters aged eight to fifteen. There were short tales, puzzles, poems, illustrations and the like to attract a young child's attention. It was edited by Pansy (Isabella Macdonald Alden).

"The Pansy" was published from 1874 to 1896. Initially it was a weekly pictorial paper. Sometime thereafter it was published as a weekly, semimonthly and a monthly but at one point it evolved into just a monthly. Each year's publication was bound into a larger book that was published in two formats: cloth or illuminated board books.

I have not seen any of the weeklies or semimonthlies. It is also not clear when this publication became strictly monthly.

Some examples of the publications are shown below.

Illuminated board covers