Harper's round table - Thanksgiving number '95

In the United States Thanksgiving is observed on the fourth Thursday in November. In Canada - on the second Monday of October. The tradition of Thanksgiving started with the Pilgrims who settled at Plymouth, Massachusetts. They first held a celebration of their harvest in 1621. The first national Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed by President George Washington in 1789. It became a holiday in 1863 when Abraham Lincoln declared that the last Thursday in November should be celebrated as Thanksgiving. Since then it has been celebrated every year and is an official federal holiday that was moved to the fourth Thursday of November in 1941 by President Franklin Roosevelt. Many cities have large parades on Thanksgiving Day. Perhaps the largest and most famous parade is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Another popular way to spend the day is watching NFL football. The traditional food for the Thanksgiving meal includes a turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, vegetables, and pumpkin pie. Each year a live turkey is presented to the President of the United States who then "pardons" the turkey and it gets to live out its life on a farm.

Harper & Brothers began publication of Harper’s New Monthly Magazine in 1850. It was renamed Harper’s Monthly Magazine in the 1900 Christmas issue. Edward Penfield served the Harpers as staff illustrator, editor, and art director from 1890 to 1901. Penfield created his first lithograph for Harper’s Magazine in 1893. He made posters advertising each successive issue of the magazine for over seven years. Penfield also created advertisements and cover designs for books published by Harper and Brothers.