La Tomasa

La Tomasa was a Catalan weekly magazine that first appeared in Barcelona in 1872. It was created by the same team behind the satirical publications La Campana de Gràcia and L'Esquella de la Torratxa after both were suspended by the civil governor. The first run consisted of only four issues, published between 30 May and 16 June 1872. The magazine took its name from a popular bell in Barcelona Cathedral and carried the subtitle "Actualitats". After a sixteen-year hiatus, La Tomasa was revived on 2 September 1888 and continued publication until 28 December 1907, producing a total of 1,007 issues. In this second period it was subtitled "Setmanari català, festiu, il·lustrat y literari" (Catalan weekly, festive, illustrated and literary), later shortened to "Setmanari català". It was published in Barcelona, with editorial offices at various addresses including Carrer de la Lleona, 4, and printed by Daunis, Miró i Cia. and later by Litografía Barcelonesa de Ribera y Estany. The magazine appeared on Wednesdays, priced at 10 cèntims, and from 1890 it also published an annual almanac. Although it never achieved the fame of its predecessors, La Tomasa enjoyed a degree of popularity in its second stage. It was known for its moderate political stance, focusing on literary and costumbrist content rather than the polemics that characterized other satirical press of the time. Its first literary director was Simó Alsina i Clos, with Ramon Escaler as art director; later directors included Antoni Ferrer i Codina and Artur Guasch i Tombas. Contributors included writers such as A. Bori i Fontestà, M. Folch i Torres, and C. Roure, with illustrations by J. Robert, Pahissa, and Picarol. La Tomasa ceased publication in 1907. It is remembered as part of the rich tradition of Catalan satirical and literary journalism of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

La Tomasa was a Catalan weekly magazine that emerged in Barcelona in 1872. Its creation was directly linked to the political turmoil of the time. In 1872, the civil governor of Barcelona suspended the satirical, republican and anticlerical weekly La Campana de Gràcia due to its attitude towards the difficult political circumstances of the reign of Amadeo of Savoy and the state of siege. That publication was replaced by L'Esquella de la Torratxa, which had the same format and writers as La Campana. L'Esquella lasted from 5 to 26 May and published four issues before it too was arbitrarily suspended by the civil governor. The same team behind both publications then created La Tomasa to fill the void. The first stage of La Tomasa ran from its creation on 30 May 1872 until 16 June of the same year, and only four issues were published: on 30 May, 2 June, 3 June and 16 June. The weekly's title, La Tomasa, took its name from a very popular bell in Barcelona Cathedral, and its subtitle was "Actualitats". In the first issue, in the opening greeting "A nostres lectors", the editors explained that they did not know why L'Esquella had been suspended, but that the reason was easy to suspect: "No obstant, nosaltres que creyém que encare no es un crim lo dirse republicá federal..." They also stated: "Res hem dit ni representat en nostre peròdich que no haguessin dit no una sinó mil vegades ja los demés periòdics de Barcelona, ab la sola diferència que ells ho diuen en 'castellà' que com se suposa ser llengua més dolsa, tal vegada fa menos mal que dit en català (...)". This humorous weekly published short stories in which it defended the Republic (in the first issue, under the title "L'home necessari", one can read: "Empero l'home necessari té un defecte, un gran defecte, un defecte incorretjible: l'home necessari és admirador del Himne de Riego..."), criticised the monarchy and its supporters, as well as priests. It also had a section called "Campanadas", which contained various epigrams and similes. Illustrations and caricatures were present in each issue. However, the pages of La Tomasa were much more moderate in political matters than those of L'Esquella. This first edition also included many literary contents such as writings by Serrallonga, A. Rossell, or poems by J. Montabi, authors who were later present in the second stage of the publication. The editorial team was the same as that of La Campana and L'Esquella, but the format of La Tomasa was different: it measured 373x270 mm, printed in three columns on four pages, with a mandatory price of two quartos. The printer was also the house "Vídua i Fills de Gaspar". On 2 September 1888, sixteen years later, publication resumed and continued until 28 December 1907, with a total of 1,007 issues. This new publication was described as "Setmanari català. Festiu, il·lustrat i literari", but at issue 60 it became simply "Setmanari català". It had its editorial office at Carrer de la Lleona, 4, and was initially printed by Daunis, Miró i Cia. at Carrer de Basea, 21 bis, although at the beginning of 1889 – issue 19 – printing was moved to Carrer de Sant Pau, 56 (Litografía Barcelonesa de Ribera y Estany), where the editorial office also moved before relocating to Carrer de Sant Ramon, 5 the following year. Its format was 278x193 mm and it came out with 8, 12 or 16 pages, in two or three columns, depending on the moment. It was sold for 10 cèntims – the price of humorous weeklies at that time, when quartos had already been officially abolished – and was published on Wednesdays. From 1890 it published an annual Almanach. It was in this second stage that it enjoyed a certain popularity, although it never became as well known as other Catalan satirical publications of the time. It coexisted with its predecessors, La Campana de Gràcia and L'Esquella de la Torratxa, both of which had reappeared from 1879. However, as Joan Torrent states: "La Tomasa no ha deixat gaire rastre en la història del nostre periodisme, potser precisament perquè evitava les polèmiques, que són el pa i la sal de la premsa –i que de vegades arriben a produir-li indigestions mortals-, i es mantenia en un terreny estrictament literari, catalanista com a màxim, però sense incursions en el camp de la política". The first literary director of this new Tomasa was Simó Alsina i Clos, and Ramon Escaler was in charge of the artistic side. Later, the director was an old and accredited journalist: Antoni Ferrer i Codina, the author of the popular "Toreros d'hivern". In the last issues of La Tomasa, the director was Artur Guasch i Tombas. Many of the contributors wrote rather innocent literature, almost entirely devoted to old costumbrist themes with occasional forays into bullfighting, the lyrical genre, frivolous ladies and piquant and anticlerical topics. Some of the contributors from L'Esquella who later wrote for La Tomasa include Josep...

• First issue published on 30 May 1872.

• First stage ends on 16 June 1872 after four issues.

• Publication resumes on 2 September 1888.

• Subtitle changes to 'Setmanari català' at issue 60 (18 October 1889).

• Annual almanac begins publication in 1890.

• Final issue published on 28 December 1907 (issue 1007).

Humorous, literary and illustrated Catalan weekly with a moderate political stance.

• La Tomasa weekly issues

  Weekly magazine, 8-16 pages, published on Wednesdays.

• Almanach

  Annual almanac published from 1890.

1. 1Arxiu de Revistes Catalanes Antigues > La Tomasa : actualitatsarca.bnc.cat
2. 2La Tomasa - Viquipèdiaca.wikipedia.org
3. 3La Tomasa - Wikidatawikidata.org