La Ilustración

La Ilustración, subtitled «periódico universal» ("universal newspaper"), was a Spanish illustrated cultural weekly founded in Madrid in 1849 by Ángel Fernández de los Ríos and published until 1857. Its first issue appeared on 3 March 1849. The publication was inspired by other European illustrated periodicals such as the French L'Illustration, the English The Illustrated London News and the German Die Illustrierte Zeitung. It initially ran to 8 pages and expanded to 16 pages from 1852. The magazine covered a broad range of subjects: costumbrista themes (depictions of local customs and manners), fashion, current affairs, literary and theatrical criticism, cartography, scientific inventions, portraits of celebrities and short stories, sometimes translated. According to Rodríguez Gutiérrez, La Ilustración published stories that were not considered good enough for the Semanario Pintoresco Español, becoming "a sort of narrative B-series". The graphic content was produced by a large team of illustrators and engravers, including Vicente Castelló, Vicente Urrabieta, Calixto Ortega, Joaquín Sierra y Ponzano, Cecilio Pizarro, Federico Ruiz, Bernardo Rico y Ortega, Antonio Bravo, Coderch, Félix Batanero, José Giménez, Román Sanz, Ildefonso Cibera, José Méndez y Andrés, Ceferino Araujo, Ricardo Llopis, Manuel Lázaro Burgos, Cruz, José Vallejo y Galeazo, Carlos Múgica y Pérez, Juan de Barroeta, Eusebio Zarza and Paul Gavarni, among others. La Ilustración is a historical Spanish periodical brand, not a currently operating commercial company. Its complete run is preserved in the Hemeroteca Digital of the Biblioteca Nacional de España and in the historical press portal of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.

La Ilustración was founded in Madrid in 1849 by Ángel Fernández de los Ríos, who also directed it. Its first issue appeared on 3 March 1849. The weekly was conceived in the tradition of the great European illustrated periodicals of the period, taking as models the French L'Illustration, the English The Illustrated London News and the German Die Illustrierte Zeitung. It was published weekly and initially consisted of 8 pages; from 1852 it was expanded to 16 pages. Publication ceased in 1857. The magazine's editorial scope was broad and encyclopedic, in keeping with its subtitle «periódico universal». It carried sections devoted to costumbrista writing (sketches of customs and manners), fashion, current affairs, literary and theatrical criticism, cartography, scientific inventions, portraits of notable figures and short stories, some of them translated from other languages. In the history of Spanish narrative, La Ilustración has been characterised by Borja Rodríguez Gutiérrez as a "B-series" outlet for the Semanario Pintoresco Español: it published stories that were not considered strong enough for that older illustrated weekly. A defining feature of the publication was its graphic content. A large group of illustrators and engravers contributed to it, among them Vicente Castelló, Vicente Urrabieta, Calixto Ortega, Joaquín Sierra y Ponzano, Cecilio Pizarro, Federico Ruiz, Bernardo Rico y Ortega, Antonio Bravo, Coderch, Félix Batanero, José Giménez, Román Sanz, Ildefonso Cibera, José Méndez y Andrés, Ceferino Araujo, Ricardo Llopis, Manuel Lázaro Burgos, Cruz, José Vallejo y Galeazo, Carlos Múgica y Pérez, Juan de Barroeta, Eusebio Zarza and Paul Gavarni, among others. Although the magazine itself ceased publication in 1857, its run has been preserved and digitised. The Hemeroteca Digital of the Biblioteca Nacional de España holds a complete collection and a catalogue record under ISSN 0214-5359, and the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport provides a full digital hemeroteca through its historical press portal. Modern scholarship, notably articles published in Anales de Literatura Española (Universidad de Alicante, no. 25, 2013) by Raquel Gutiérrez Sebastián, Ángeles Quesada Novás and Borja Rodríguez Gutiérrez, has examined the magazine's costumbrismo, its general profile and its narrative content.

• 1857

  Publication of La Ilustración ceases.

• 1852

  The magazine is expanded from 8 to 16 pages per issue.

• 1849

  La Ilustración is founded in Madrid by Ángel Fernández de los Ríos; the first issue appears on 3 March 1849.

A 19th-century Spanish illustrated cultural weekly modelled on leading European illustrated periodicals, aimed at a general educated readership.

• La Ilustración. Periódico Universal

  Illustrated cultural weekly published in Madrid from 1849 to 1857, covering costumbrismo, fashion, current affairs, literary and theatrical criticism, cartography, scientific inventions, celebrity portraits and short stories.

1. 1Wikidata: La Ilustraciónwikidata.org
2. 2Wikipédia (fr): La Ilustraciónfr.wikipedia.org
3. 3Hemeroteca Digital, Biblioteca Nacional de España: La Ilustración (ISSN 0214-5359)hemerotecadigital.bne.es