Semanario Pintoresco Español

The Semanario Pintoresco Español was a cultural weekly publication founded in Madrid, Spain, in 1836 by the writer Ramón de Mesonero Romanos. It first appeared on 3 April 1836 and was published every Sunday. Mesonero Romanos modelled it on the 'picturesque magazine' format that was then successful in England and France, and defined its editorial line around four principles: apoliticism, instruction, variety and low cost. To produce the magazine he imported a mechanical press from France and introduced wood engraving, a major technical advance that allowed illustrations to be printed together with text and reproduced indefinitely. The magazine enjoyed wide circulation for its time, reaching 6,000 subscribers. From 2 January 1848 until its final issue it carried the subtitle 'Lectura familiar, enciclopedia popular' (Family reading, popular encyclopedia). Its contents were eclectic, including Spanish legends and traditions, tales, novels and fictionalised biographies, with costumbrista (customs and manners) themes being the most important. Mesonero Romanos, who opposed both Romanticism and Classicism, sought to 'popularise useful and pleasant knowledge' about science, literature and the arts. The magazine was organised into fixed sections such as 'Costumbres' (Customs), 'España pintoresca' (Picturesque Spain), 'Bellas Artes' (Fine Arts) and 'Crítica literaria' (Literary criticism). It is described as the magazine that 'consolidated the model of the family publication, of divulgation and leisure' in Spain. Its last director, Ángel Fernández de los Ríos, gathered collaborators including Mesonero Romanos himself, Teodoro Guerrero y Pallarés, Juan Ariza, Antonio Gil y Zárate, Manuel Bretón de los Herreros, Eugenio Hartzenbusch e Hiriart, Carolina Coronado, Fernán Caballero, and poets such as José Zorrilla, Salvador Bermúdez de Castro O'Lawlor and Enrique Gil y Carrasco. Numerous illustrators and engravers contributed to its graphic production, among them Vicente Urrabieta, Bernardo Rico y Ortega, Cecilio Pizarro, Vicente Castelló, Antonio Bravo, Calixto Ortega, Carlos Múgica y Pérez, Fernando Miranda, Manuel Lázaro Burgos, Ildefonso Cibera, Cruz, Félix Batanero, Eusebio Zarza, José Méndez, Murcia, Coderch, José María Avrial y Flores, Jesús Avrial y Flores, Francisco Lameyer y Berenguer and Leonardo Alenza. According to Trancón Lagunas, the Semanario Pintoresco Español formed, together with El Museo Universal and Museo de las Familias, the trilogy of the most important magazines of the century in Spain until the 1868 Revolution. The publication ran from 1836 to 1857 and is now considered a defunct historical brand. Its legacy is preserved through digitised archives held by the National Library of Spain, the Cervantes Institute and the Community of Madrid.

The Semanario Pintoresco Español was founded in Madrid in 1836 by Ramón de Mesonero Romanos as a weekly magazine published every Sunday, starting on 3 April 1836. Mesonero Romanos wanted the magazine to follow the model of the 'picturesque magazine' that was triumphant in England and France, which he defined through four concepts: apoliticism, instruction, variety and low cost. To create the magazine, he imported a mechanical press from France, a major technical advance, and introduced wood engraving, which allowed engravings to be printed at the same time as text and to be copied indefinitely. From 2 January 1848 until its last issue, the magazine carried the subtitle 'Lectura familiar, enciclopedia popular' (Family reading, popular encyclopedia). The magazine enjoyed wide circulation for the time, with 6,000 subscribers. According to Trancón Lagunas, the Semanario Pintoresco Español formed, together with El Museo Universal and Museo de las Familias, the trilogy of the most important magazines of the century in Spain until the 1868 Revolution. The publication frequently included 'Spanish legends and traditions, tales, novels and fictionalised biographies' in an eclectic content, but with costumbrista themes being the most important. Mesonero Romanos was opposed to Romanticism and Classicism and wished to 'popularise useful and pleasant knowledge' for the greatest number concerning the sciences, literature and the arts. The magazine was organised into fixed sections such as 'Costumbres' (Customs), 'España pintoresca' (Picturesque Spain), 'Bellas Artes' (Fine Arts), 'Crítica literaria' (Literary criticism), etc. The magazine is described as the one that, in Spain, 'consolidated the model of the family publication, of divulgation and leisure.' Ángel Fernández de los Ríos, the last director of the magazine, surrounded himself with collaborators such as Ramón de Mesonero Romanos himself, Teodoro Guerrero y Pallarés, Juan Ariza, Antonio Gil y Zárate, Manuel Bretón de los Herreros, Eugenio Hartzenbusch e Hiriart, Carolina Coronado, Fernán Caballero, and poets such as José Zorrilla, Salvador Bermúdez de Castro O'Lawlor, Enrique Gil y Carrasco. For the graphic production, many illustrators and engravers were called upon, such as Vicente Urrabieta, Bernardo Rico y Ortega, Cecilio Pizarro, Vicente Castelló, Antonio Bravo, Calixto Ortega, Carlos Múgica y Pérez, Fernando Miranda, Manuel Lázaro Burgos, Ildefonso Cibera, Cruz, Félix Batanero, Eusebio Zarza, José Méndez, Murcia, Coderch, José María Avrial y Flores, Jesús Avrial y Flores, Francisco Lameyer y Berenguer, and Leonardo Alenza. The magazine ran from 1836 to 1857. It is now defunct, and its archives are held by the National Library of Spain, the Cervantes Institute and the Community of Madrid.

• 1857

  Publication ceased.

• 1848

  From 2 January 1848 until the last issue, the magazine carried the subtitle 'Lectura familiar, enciclopedia popular'.

• 1836

  Founded by Ramón de Mesonero Romanos in Madrid; first issue published on 3 April 1836.

A family-oriented, apolitical, instructive and affordable illustrated weekly that popularised useful and pleasant knowledge.

• Semanario Pintoresco Español weekly issues

  Weekly illustrated cultural magazine published every Sunday, with sections such as Costumbres, España pintoresca, Bellas Artes and Crítica literaria.

1. 1Wikidata entry for Semanario Pintoresco Españolwikidata.org
2. 2French Wikipedia article on Semanario Pintoresco Españolfr.wikipedia.org
3. 3National Library of Spain digital archivehemerotecadigital.bne.es