Graham's Magazine

Graham's Magazine was a nineteenth-century periodical based in Philadelphia established by George Rex Graham and published from 1840 to 1858. It was alternatively referred to as Graham's Lady's and Gentleman's Magazine (1841–1842, and July 1843 – June 1844), Graham's Magazine of Literature and Art (January 1844 – June 1844), Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature and Art (July 1848 – June 1856), and Graham's Illustrated Magazine of Literature, Romance, Art, and Fashion (July 1856 – 1858).^[1]

The journal was founded after the merger of Burton's Gentleman's Magazine and Atkinson's Casket in 1840. Publishing short stories, critical reviews, and music as well as information on fashion, Graham intended the journal to reach all audiences including both men and women. He offered the high payment of $5 per page, successfully attracting some of the best-known writers of the day. It also became known for its engravings and artwork. Graham's may have been the first magazine in the United States to copyright each issue.

Edgar Allan Poe became the editor of Graham's in February 1841 and soon was publishing the harsh critical reviews for which he became known. It was also where he first published "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", now recognized as the first detective story. After Poe left the journal, his successor was Rufus Wilmot Griswold, a man who bitterly disliked Poe. Graham's began rejecting Poe's submissions and passed up the chance to publish "The Raven". Graham left his magazine for a time in 1848 and it eventually ceased in 1858.