the dominant American graphic style of the nineteen century drew inspiration from contemporary English and German littering and decoration especially as reflected in the scores of illustrated periodicals initiated around mid-century the typography of these publications was conservative, while the editorial illustration proved to be more important stylistic signpost wood engraving and lithography were the primary means of reproducing the usually over rendered visual narratives when Harper's Weekly first began publishing in 1857 its wood engraved illustrations were limited were limited by their man-date to represent newsworthy events as accurately as possible imagination came to the surface when the German born cartoonist Thomas Nast joined the the staff in 1862 and marked the periodical with his distinctive, cross hatched editorial cartoon style in 1871 Joseph Keeper, a Vienna born political cartoonist trained in European lithographic techniques, founded the acerbic satirical weekly puck, which not only raised the quality of american illustration but also introduced chromolithographic (color printing) to cartoons the work of Nast and Keppler also influenced the style of cartoonists working in rival (and often imitative) periodicals, such as Judge,Jingo,and Trutb