Embedded Files
Introduction
A little‑known aspect of the Möbius strip is the interest shown in it by the French balloonist and polymath Gaston Tissandier (1843–1899)*. In La Nature (1887), a journal he founded, and in Récréations Scientifiques (1888), he presents the Möbius strip essentially as a magic trick involving three bands to be cut, possibly based on earlier Austrian reports. His presentation was later adopted by the magic community in 1902 under the title “Afghan Bands”. This helped to spread the idea of three bands with different twists and cuts, although usually without credit to Tissandier. The topic has continued to attract discussion among magicians to the present day.
The development of the Möbius strip owes more to Tissandier than is generally acknowledged. When he is mentioned at all, it is usually in a brief or incidental manner. This essay aims to establish his understated significance. To that end, I present a compilation of all the images of the engraving that I have located, along with an account of how the illustration spread with remarkable speed after its initial publication.
For this investigation, I have examined a wide range of archives, including Google Books, the Internet Archive, and several newspaper collections such as the British Newspaper Archive, Chronicling America, NewspaperArchive, Newspapers.com, and Trove, as well as magic‑related material through Conjuring Arts. French archives are a notable omission. I found Gallica particularly difficult to use. The presentation that follows is both textual and pictorial.
An investigation of this nature can never be considered complete, since new material may surface in other archives or in languages I cannot access. However, it is difficult to imagine that anything substantial remains that would significantly alter the conclusions presented here.
For the online version of this study, I have limited the references to the nineteenth century. This decision reflects the considerable time required to assemble the material and the likely limited interest of most readers. A full treatment, containing just under two hundred entries and extending to 1934, when the topic naturally reaches a point of closure, can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZcYVUep0lpjd4benG7nx7YtfxM9nQood9hJh5kXjpo8/edit?usp=sharing
* The authorship of the original article is uncertain. The piece ends with the byline “Dr Z”, and the engraving is credited to Louis Poyet. It appears that Tissandier’s involvement may have been limited to editorial oversight. For the sake of simplicity and clarity, I refer to the article under his name. Louis Poyet is well known as an illustrator. Dr Z is far less identifiable, and neither David Mitchell, who has examined this material, nor I have been able to determine his identity.
An At-a-Glance Chronology of References
One immediate observation is how uneven the distribution of references is. Every example belongs to the historical record rather than to modern times. There appears to have been a brief fad at the beginning of the nineteenth century that diminished rapidly in the early twentieth century, with the most recent instance now more than one hundred years old. Where the author is known, I provide a name, and where the author is not identified, I list the newspaper title instead. Colour coding is used to indentify same texts. This section is followed by more detailed entries that include images.
1887 (35)
[1]. ‘Les Anneaux de Papier’. La Nature, January 1.
[2]. ‘Experiment with Paper Rings’. Scientific American. February 12. (The annexed engraving..)
[3] The Popular Science News and Boston Journal of Chemistry (US). March. (Take three strips of paper and paste the ends together…)
[4] Town and Country Journal, Sydney, NSW (Australia), Saturday, May 28. N, NA, T
[5] Atchison Daily Globe (US), Tuesday, September 6. (Numbered with other recreations…) N, NA
[6] Aurora Daily Express (US), Friday, September 9. G
[7] Sidney Journal (Sidney, Ohio), Friday, September 9, 1887, p. 3. N, G
[8] New Brunswick Daily Times (US), Friday, September 9, p. 1. NA
[9] Burlington Free Press (US), Saturday, September 10, p. 2. N
[10] Courier-News (US), Saturday, September 10, p. 3. N
[11] Dayton Herald (US), Saturday, September 10, p. 8. N
[12] Jackson Citizen Patriot (US), Saturday, September 10, p. 3. N
[13] Kingston Daily British Whig (Canada), Saturday, September 10, p. 3. NA.
[14] Richmond Times-Dispatch (US), Saturday, September 10, p. 4. N
[15] Terre Haute Saturday Evening Mail (US), p. 3, Saturday, September 10. NA
[16] Morning Call (Paterson), (US), Thursday, September 11, p. 2. N
[17] Sunday Leader (Wilkes-Barre), (US), Sunday, September 11, p. 6. N
[18] Rockford Register Star (US), Monday, September 12, p. 2. N
[19] Knoxville Daily Tribune (US), Tuesday, September 13, p. 7. N
[20] Wilkes-Barre Times (Evening) Leader (US), Tuesday, September 13, p. 3. N
[21] Girard Press (US), Wednesday, September 14, p. 4. N
[22] Morning Call (US), Thursday, September 15, p. 2. N
[23] Muskegon Weekly Chronicle (US), Thursday, September 15, p. 1. N
[24] Bradford/United Opinion (US), Friday, September 16, p. 3. N, NA
[25] Union Leader (Wilkes-Barre), (US), Friday, September 16, p. 3. N
[26] Topeka Daily Capital (US), Saturday, September 17, p. 3. N
[27] St. Joseph Daily Gazette (US), Thursday, September 22, p. 6. N, G
[28] Sun and the Erie County Independent (US), Friday, September 23, p. 7. N
[29] Vicksburg Herald (US), Sunday, September 25, p. 6. N
[30] Evening Mail (Stocken) (US), Thursday, September 29, p. 3. N
[31] Muskegon Chronicle (US), Thursday, September 29, p. 4. N
[32] Cincinnati Commercial Gazette (US), October 9, p. 4. NA.
[33] St. Louis Globe-Democrat (US), Wednesday, October 12, p. 3. (Take three…) N
[34] Commercial (US), Thursday, October 27, p. 3. N
[35] The Monroeville Weekly Breeze (US), Thursday, November 10, p. 7. (The explanation…) N, NA
[36] The Manning Times (US), Wednesday, December 14, p. 3. N, ?
1888 (4)
[39] ‘Trick with Paper Rings’. Knowledge, January 2, p. 67.
[36] ‘Les Anneaux de Papier’ (France). Les Récréations Scientifiques. 5th ed.
[37] ‘Tricks with Paper Rings’ (UK). The Gatherer. Cassell's Family Magazine.
[38] The Swiss Cross. A Monthly Magazine of Popular Science.
1889 (2)
[40] John Harvey Kellogg (editor). Health Reformer.
[41] Henry Frith and Gaston Tissandier. Half Hours of Scientific Amusement.
1890 (1)
[42] J. D. Champlin et al. The Young Folk's Cyclopædia of Games and Sports.
1893 (1)
[43] ‘A Curious Experiment with Paper Rings’. The Picture Magazine.
1895 (1)
[44] . ‘Les Anneaux de Papier’. L’Album Industriel, January 19, 1895*, p. 139.
1896 (1)
[45] ‘Los anillos de papel’ (Spain). Repertorio Completo de Todos los Juegos.
Instances in Detail
For each entry, I give: (i) bibliographic information, (ii) the page from the publication, (iii) an excerpt of the text where this is long, and in full where it is short, (iv), a link, (v) the archive where sourced from, (vi) syndication details, where applicable (newspapers). However, this is not always consistent; the reader will surely appreciate the practical difficulties involved in collating all this! Even so, any perceived shortcomings are not significant.
1887 (15)
[1] 1887. ‘Dr Z…’. ‘Les Anneaux de Papier’. Récréations Scientifiques. La Nature 709, 1st January 1887, p. 80.
Translated: The Paper Rings
The first reference. Given the significance, I show below in full the original French and an English translation. The implied presentation is of a magic trick, with three rings, albeit a ‘magic show’ is not implicit in the text. Essentially the same text (with a five-line ‘introductory’) and illustration are repeated in Tissandier’s compilation of articles in La Nature in Récréations Scientifiques. 5th ed., 1888, ‘Les anneaux de papier’, pp. 272–273.
Quoted by: David Mitchell
Gallica
French Original
Page 272
Les anneaux de papier. - Le petit jeu que nous allons faire connaître sous ce titre a le privilège d'exciter l'étonnement de ceux qui ne sont pas initiés à la manière d'opérer; il touche à des considérations géométriques très intéressantes. Nous allons donner d'abord la description du fait dont il s'agit.
Voici trois anneaux de papier 1, 2 et 3 (fig. 218); ils doivent être en réalité de très grand diamètre par rapport à leur hauteur, mais nous avons réduit sur notre figure les proportions de leur circonférence, afin de ne pas donner à la gravure une dimension exagérée.
Je vous donne d'abord l'anneau n° 1 avec une paire de ciseaux, et je vous prie de couper cet anneau suivant la ligne pointillée; on commence par faire une première entaille, et, prenant les ciseaux, on coupe tout droit devant soi en faisant tourner l'anneau au fur et à mesure qu'il est séparé, vous arrivez à faire le tour de l'anneau, et vous obtenez deux anneaux de papier qui sont représentés au-dessous en 1'. Le trait pointillé est indiqué sur la figure à titre d'indication, mais il ne se trouve pas en réalité sur les bandes de papier.
Je vous demande de procéder de la même façon avec l'anneau nº 2; vous coupez, en suivant la bandelette de papier, mais cette fois vous êtes tout surpris quand, après avoir parcouru la circonférence entière, vous vous trouvez avoir entre les mains un grand anneau 2', en un seul morceau, deux fois plus grand que le premier.
Voici maintenant le n° 3. Il va vous réserver encore une autre surprise aussi inattendue que la première. En le coupant de la même manière, vous avez encore un autre résultat et une autre surprise; vous obtenez deux anneaux passés l'un dans l'autre comme dans une chaîne, n° 3'.
Voici comment cette curieuse expérience se prépare: vous découpez des bandelettes de papier de 0",03 de largeur et de 1 mètre à 1,50 de longueur. Vous prenez la première bandelette et vous en collez les deux extrémités directement comme on le voit en 1, de manière que la même face de papier forme la
Page 273
surface extérieure de l'anneau; la seconde bandelette est collée après avoir donné au papier un mouvement de torsion sur luimême, c'est-à-dire que l'une des extrémités de la bandelette doit ètre collée avec la face opposée de l'autre extrémité; quant à la
[Engraving]
troisième bandelette, vous la collez après lui avoir donné deux torsions sur elle-mème. Vous laissez sécher la collure, et l'expérience est prête. Les torsions du papier sont d'autant moins apparentes et appréciables, que le diamètre de l'anneau est plus grand.
English Translation
Page 272
The Paper Rings. — The little trick that we are about to describe under this title has the privilege of astonishing anyone who is not familiar with the method; it touches on some very interesting geometric considerations. We shall begin by describing the phenomenon in question.
Here are three paper rings, numbered 1, 2, and 3 (fig. 218). In reality, they should have a very large diameter in proportion to their height, but in our illustration we have reduced the circumference so as not to give the engraving an exaggerated size.
I first hand you ring no. 1 along with a pair of scissors, and I ask you to cut this ring along the dotted line. You begin by making an initial notch, and then, taking the scissors, you cut straight ahead while turning the ring as it separates. You eventually make your way all around the ring, and you obtain two paper rings, shown below as 1'. The dotted line is indicated in the figure merely as a guide; it does not actually appear on the paper strips.
I now ask you to proceed in the same way with ring no. 2. You cut along the strip of paper, but this time you are quite surprised when, after going all the way around the circumference, you find yourself holding a large ring, 2', in a single piece, twice as big as the first.
Now here is no. 3. It will give you yet another surprise, just as unexpected as the first. Cutting it in the same manner produces a different result and a new surprise: you obtain two rings linked together like a chain, no. 3'.
Here is how this curious experiment is prepared: you cut strips of paper 0.03 m wide and from 1 to 1.5 metres long. You take the first strip and glue its two ends together directly, as shown in 1, so that the same side of the paper forms the
Page 273
outer surface of the ring; the second strip is glued after giving the paper a twist upon itself, that is to say, one end of the strip must be glued to the opposite face of the other end; as for the
{Engraving]
third strip, you glue it after giving it two twists upon itself. You let the glued joint dry, and the experiment is ready. The twists in the paper become all the less visible and noticeable as the diameter of the ring increases.
Publication. La Nature (English: Nature) was a French language magazine aimed at the popularisation of science established in 1873 by French scientist and adventurer Gaston Tissandier. The magazine also received an enormous amount of time, effort, and contributions from his brother, Albert Tissandier. From 1873 to 1914, each year's volume started at the beginning of December. The second six-month period began with the first issue in June. Starting in 1915, La Nature's publishing year was brought in sync with the calendar year. Wikipedia
This reference is not easily found in the full original. David Mitchell gives a link to the specific page:
https://www.origamiheaven.com/historyarticleinlanaturejanuary1887.htm
[2] ‘Experiment with Paper Rings’. Scientific American. February 12, 1887, p. 99.
The annexed engraving, from La Nature, shows the method of preparing paper rings for the performance of a curious experiment. Take three strips of paper 2 inches in width by from 2 to 3 feet in length; and with one of them form a ring, as shown in Fig. 1, by pasting the two ends together. Before pasting the ends of tho second ring give the paper a single twist Fig. 2, and before completing the third ring give the strip two twists. These twists in the completed rings (1 and 2) will be so much the less perceptible in proportion as their diameter is greater.
If we take a pair of scissors and cut through the circumference of ring No. 1 in the direction shown by the dotted lines, we shall obtain two rings, as shown in No. 1. Proceeding in the same way with ring No. 2, we shall obtain a single elongated ring, as shown in No. 2, and with No. 3, two rings which are connected like the links of a chain, as shown in No. 3. (ALL)
This is the earliest external print reference I have to the La Nature engraving. The translated text is noticeably shorter than the La Nature text and is not a like-for-like translation. The engraving is reproduced exactly (unlike some others, where the background is removed). Of note is how quickly this crossed over to the US; little over a month later! Investigating this with AI brought new insight as to this quick turnaround (More details are in the AI sandpit):
A turnaround of roughly five weeks between La Nature (1 January 1887) and Scientific American (12 February 1887) was quick, but not anomalous for the period. In fact, it sits at the efficient end of a well‑established transatlantic exchange system that had been operating for decades…
Google Books
[3] The Popular Science News and Boston Journal of Chemistry. Vol. XXI, Number 3, Boston, March 1887, p. 33.
Take three strips of paper and paste the ends together so as to form a ring. Then cut around the center, as shown by the dotted rings…
In the column ‘Familiar Science - Scientific Recreations’ with a brief discussion amid other popular science (including incidentally Hooper’s Paradox (1774) and another from Tissandier/Poyet). Tissandier is not credited in the text. Likely derived from the Scientific American piece, although it is not like-for-like. Incidentally, the same text is repeated in:
John Harvey Kellogg, (editor), James Thomas Case. Good Health, Good Health Publishing Company, London, England, New York; Oakland Cal, Battle Creek Mich, Vol XXIV, 1889, p. 145.
Publication.
(1) Popular science news, formerly Boston Journal of Chemistry. A popular illustrated monthly devoted to the progress in zoology, botany, mineralogy, archaeology, hygiene, invention, with related physical sciences and general scientific information. Internet Archive
(2) The Popular Science News and Boston Journal of Chemistry was a U.S.‑based popular‑science periodical that evolved from a specialist chemistry journal into a broad, illustrated monthly covering many scientific fields. It was published in Boston and later New York, and it served as an accessible bridge between professional science and the general reading public. AI Copilot
Google Books
[4] Town and Country Journal, Sydney, NSW (Australia), Saturday, 28 May, 1887, p. 28.
Experiments with Paper Rings
Experiments with Paper Rings
The annexed engraving, from La Nature, shows the method of preparing paper rings for the performance of a curious experiment. Take three strips of paper 2 inches in width by from 2 to 3 feet in length; and with one of them form a ring, as shown in Fig. 1, by pasting the two ends together. Before pasting the ends of tho second ring give the paper a single twist Fig. 2, and before completing the third ring give the strip two twists. These twists in the completed rings (1 and 2) will be so much the less perceptible in proportion as their diameter is greater. If we take a pair of scissors and cut through the circumference of ring No. 1 in the direction shown by the dotted lines, we shall obtain two rings, as shown in No. 1. Proceeding in the same way with ring No. 2, we shall obtain a single elongated ring, as shown in No. 2, and with No. 3, two rings which are connected like the links of a chain, as shown in No. 3. (ALL)
Of the utmost historical importance; the first known newspaper report of any country, and, amazingly, as far apart from France as possible, namely Australia! The text is exactly the same as that from the Scientific American article (February 12, 1887), including the title, text and paragraph break, and so is thus likely derived from there.
Perhaps surprisingly so, given its wide syndication in the US, this appears to be the only reference in Trove, i.e. not syndicated elsewhere in Australia. Two days were spent looking, albeit not entirely futile, in that I looked for Möbius strips in the round. Also, its noteworthy in its isolation, four months before the US papers picked up on it.
Trove (Australia)
[5] 1887. Atchison Daily Globe (US), September 6, 1887, p. 2.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature [January 1, 1887] is the one of the rings. Take three strips of paper and paste the ends together so as to form a ring. Then cut around the center, as shown by the dotted lines. The first strip will separate into two equal sized separate rings; the second will form one large ring; while the third will be cut into two rings linked together.
[FIGURE]
A SCIENTIFIC RECREATION.
The explanation of this pretty and simple trick lies in the preparation of the original rings. No. 1 is made by joining together the two ends of a strip of paper. In No. 2 the strip is twisted one?, and in No. 3 twice, before joining the ends. It is better to make rings much larger than those shown in the engraving, us the twisting of the paper is not then so evident. (ALL)
Of the utmost historical importance, as the first known newspaper report of the US. It was then quickly followed (syndicated) three days later in two other US newspapers, and others in the year.
Shows a simplified line drawing of the Tissandier engraving.
Mentions La Nature, and so likely derived from the Scientific American account, albeit the illustration is without the contrasting background, and is one of the few to give credit. As with Scientific American, this is a shortened account from that of La Nature.
Syndicated, 1/7. 1887 (7)
NewspaperArchive
[6] Aurora Daily Express (US), September 9, 1887, p. 3.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings. Take three strips of paper and paste the ends together so as to form a ring…
Of historical importance, as the joint second known newspaper report of the US, on the same day as The Sidney Journal.
Saving this satisfactorily (as with most newspapers in Google Books) as a picture is most trying indeed; the page will simply not permit a full capture. Of necessity, a partial print screen is the only option. Ideally, I would look elsewhere, but trying to find the paper and page in a distinct newspaper archive is too time-consuming.
Syndicated, 2/28. 1887 (28)
Chronicling America, Google Newspapers
[7] The Sidney Journal (US), September 9, 1887, p. 3.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Note that this is a US paper, and not Australian (as I first thought!)
Syndicated, 3/28. 1887 (28)
Chronicling America, Google Newspapers
[8] 1887. New Brunswick Daily Times (US), September 9, p. 1.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings….
Syndicated, 4/28. 1887 (28)
NewspaperArchive
[9] 1887. Kingston Daily British Whig (Canada), September 10, p. 3.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings.
Of note as the first known Canadian reference.
Syndicated, 5/28. 1887 (28)
NewspaperArchive
[10] 1887. Terre Haute Saturday Evening Mail (US), September 10, p. 3.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 6/28. 1887 (28)
[11] 1887. The Burlington Free Press (US), Saturday, September 10, p. 2.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 7/28. 1887 (28)
[12] 1887. The Courier-News (US), Saturday, September 10, p. 3.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 8/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[13] 1887. Richmond Times-Dispatch (US), Saturday, September 10, p. 4.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 9/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[14] 1887. Jackson Citizen Patriot (US), Saturday, September 10, p. 3.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 10/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[15] 1887. The Dayton Herald (US), Saturday, September 10, p. 8.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 11/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[16] Morning Call (Paterson), (US), Thursday, September 11, p. 2.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 12/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[17] Sunday Leader (Wilkes-Barre), (US), Sunday, September 11, p. 6.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 13/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[18] Rockford Register Star (US), Monday, September 12, p. 2.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 14/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[19] Knoxville Daily Tribune (US), Tuesday, September 13, p. 7.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 15/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[20] Wilkes-Barre Times (Evening) Leader (US), Tuesday, September 13, p. 3.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 16/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[21] Girard Press (US), Wednesday, September 14, p. 4.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 17/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[22] Morning Call (US), Thursday, September 15, p. 2.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 18/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[23] Muskegon Weekly Chronicle (US), Thursday, September 15, p. 1.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 19/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[24] Bradford/United Opinion (US), Friday, September 16, p. 3.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 20/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com, NewspaperArchive
[25] Union Leader (Wilkes-Barre), (US), Friday, September 16, p. 3.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings…
Syndicated, 21/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com, Chronicling America?
[26] Topeka Daily Capital (US), Saturday, September 17, p. 3.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings….
Syndicated, 22/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[27] St. Joseph Daily Gazette (US), Thursday, September 22, p. 6.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings….
Syndicated, 23/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com, Google Newspapers
[28] Sun and the Erie County Independent (US), Friday, September 23, p. 7.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings….
Syndicated, 24/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[29] Vicksburg Herald (US), Sunday, September 25, p. 6.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature is the one of the rings….
Syndicated, 25/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[30] Evening Mail (Stocken) (US), Thursday, September 29, p. 3.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature [January 1, 1887] is the one of the rings.
Syndicated, 26/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[31] Muskegon Chronicle (US), Thursday, September 29, p. 4.
Numbered with other recreations suggested by La Nature [January 1, 1887] is the one of the rings.
Syndicated, 27/28. 1887 (28)
Newspapers.com
[32] Cincinnati Commercial Gazette (US), Sunday, October 9, p. 4. NA.
Take three strips of paper and paste the ends together to form a ring…
Syndicated, 1/2. 1887 (2)
NewspaperArchive
[33] St. Louis Globe-Democrat (US), Wednesday, October 12, p. 3.
Take three strips of paper and paste the ends together to form a ring…
Syndicated, 2/2. 1887 (2)
NewspaperArchive
The Circulation, Readership, and Propagation of the Publications
With the various publications to hand – including journals, magazines, and newspapers – the aim here is to understand their significance in terms of the circulation, readership, and propagation of the Tissandier reference. At the outset, I had no clear idea of what these figures might be. There are several difficulties in establishing reliable numbers. Readership is always larger than circulation, because each physical copy was typically read by multiple people. To this end, for the major journals (La Nature and Scientific American) and the first four US provincial newspapers, and one Australian paper (Town and Country Journal), I consulted two AI systems – Copilot and Gemini – for comparative estimates. The AI systems used both direct evidence and industry‑standard inference. They considered:
Household size (average 4.5–5.0 persons in 1880s America)
Literacy rates (very high in the northern states: 90–97 per cent)
Pass‑along multipliers (trade‑press norms: 2.2–3.0 readers per copy for provincial dailies)
Urban vs. small‑town reading habits
Competition density (number of papers in the town)
Very impressive!
As the analysis shows, this shows that there are distinctions between journals and newspapers; they are not equal in their reach. By far the most significant in terms of propagation are the journals rather than the newspapers (more detail is provided in the AI section).
La Nature, 1887.
Copilot
Circulation (1887): approximately 15,000–25,000 copies per week.
Readership: roughly 45,000–80,000 people.
This places La Nature in the upper-middle tier of French scientific and illustrated weeklies of the 1880s.
Gemini
Circulation (1887) 15,000 – 22,000
Readership (1887) 180,000 – 330,000
The readership figures differ considerably, but whatever the source, they are several orders of magnitude greater than those of the four provincial newspapers.
Scientific American, 1887.
Copilot
Circulation was roughly 40,000–50,000. Readership of about 100,000–150,000.
This places it among the largest specialised weeklies in the United States at the time.
Gemini
Circulation 40,000 – 45,000. Readership 320,000 – 450,000
The readership figures differ considerably, but whatever the source, they are several orders of magnitude greater than those of the four provincial newspapers.
From this evidence, it is clear that the Scientific American piece exerted by far the greater influence in terms of its propagation.
Provincial Newspapers
Copilot
1. Atchison Daily Globe
Population (1880): ~15,000. Likely circulation (1887): 2,000–4,000. Readership 5,000–12,000
2. Aurora Daily Express (Aurora, Illinois)
Population (1880): ~11,000. Likely circulation (1887): 1,500–3,000. Readership 3,500–8,000
3. The Sidney Journal (Sidney, Ohio)
Population (1880): ~4,000. Likely circulation (1887): 400–900. Readership 700–2,000
4. New Brunswick Daily Times (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
Population (1880): ~20,000. Likely circulation (1887): 3,000–6,000. Readership 7,000–16,000
Gemini
Newspaper
Atchison Daily Globe. Population (1887) ~14,300. Circulation ~2,100. Readership 9,450
Aurora Daily Express. Population (1887) ~17,300. Circulation~2,300. Readership 9,200
The Sidney Journal. Population (1887) ~4,540. Circulation~1,100 (Weekly). Readership 6,050
New Brunswick Daily Times. Population (1887) ~18,100. Circulation~1,400. Readership 5,600
Although there are notable differences between the AI estimates, particularly for The Sidney Journal, the figures still provide a reasonable indication of the scale typical of smaller and intermediate towns. The readership appears relatively modest, and therefore the propagation of a niche item of interest, such as a short piece, was likely to have been limited.
Town and Country Journal, Sydney, NSW (Australia)
Copilot
Circulation roughly 40,000–50,000 copies per week.
Readership: approximately 150,000–250,000 people.
Gemini
Circulation 25,000 – 30,000
Readership 150,000 – 240,000
I had expected the results to be broadly comparable with those of the provincial US newspapers. However, this was not the case; the figures were far higher, by several orders of magnitude. Town and Country Journal was a major Australian newspaper of its day. It is best described as a major colonial weekly rather than a provincial daily, and its readership was far larger than that of any provincial US daily of the same era. Its scale was comparable to that of major British weeklies (for example, The Graphic or the Illustrated London News), adjusted for population.
However, prominent though it was, there is no evidence that this prominence translated into a surge of Australian interest in the topic. It remains very much an outlier: the only reference of its date, with sparse native engagement and only one later reference (from 1934).
The compilation shows a total of 14 journals, * books and * newspapers. However, although there is a notable difference in frequency, the newspaper instances are not as such all distinct, as syndication can be seen, Indeed, there is as much as 130 papers for one text!
Frequency
1887 (35)
1888 (4)
1889 (2)
1890 (1)
1893 (1)
1895 (1)
1896 (1)
1904 (4)
1905 (55)
1906 (47)
1909 (27)
1910 (1)
1913 (10)
1915 (1)
1925 (1)
1934 (1)
Of note is the notable differences in frequency. Peak references, described as ‘intense interest’ loosley described as double digits, occurred in 1887 (35), 1905 (55), 1906 (55), 1906 (47) and 1909 (27). After that, the next year ‘minor interest’ was 1904 (4), and 1913 (3), with other years of only one occurrence, and some years has none! Being a layman in such matters, and so not understanding, I asked AI Copilot for an explanation. Among the reasons it gave includes:
Why a Syndicated Piece Appears in Bursts
1. Syndication was sold in “campaigns,” not continuously. A syndicate would push a feature aggressively for a short period—sometimes a few months, sometimes a year. During that push:
Salesmen mailed circulars to editors
Sample copy was sent out
The syndicate advertised in trade papers
Regional reps pitched it to clusters of newspapers
This produces the big spikes (e.g., 1887, 1905–06, 1909).
When the campaign ended, the piece simply stopped being offered. Newspapers didn’t have access to a permanent archive the way we do now.
2. Reprints were common years later
A newspaper might reprint an old syndicated item if:
They needed filler
They had a gap to fill on a slow news day
They found the clipping in their “morgue” (editorial archive)
A new editor rediscovered it
These isolated reprints explain the singletons (1890, 1893, 1895, 1896, 1910, 1915, 1925).
They don’t indicate renewed national interest—just local convenience.
Save for one instance of 1934, it’s been a century since the last recording! I also asked AI about this.
What explains no more appearances after 1934? Was it simply ‘forgotten’? And would I find this for other syndications as a general principle?
The short answer is: yes, this pattern is normal, and no appearances after 1934 almost certainly reflect structural changes in the newspaper industry and syndication market—not a sudden collapse of interest in the piece itself. But the deeper explanation is more interesting, because it reveals how the entire syndication ecosystem changed under the user’s feet.
Let me walk you through the forces at play.
Why does a syndicated item stop appearing after the early 1930s?
1. The Great Depression killed dozens of syndicates
Between 1929 and 1934, the U.S. newspaper industry went through a catastrophic contraction:
Hundreds of papers folded
Advertising revenue collapsed
Syndicates merged, died, or were absorbed
Editors cut “frivolous” or non‑news features first
If your item was a light feature, human‑interest piece, or evergreen filler, it would have been one of the first casualties.
By 1934, many of the syndicates that had existed in the 1900–1920 period were simply gone…
The replies were most informative and an aid to understanding. Like the study in general, it keeps advancing step-by-step!
List 2 - Firsts by Country (Alphabetical)
An at-a-glance listing of firsts by country in a variety of settings:
Australia, newspaper 1887. Town and Country Journal, Sydney, NSW (Australia), May 28.
Canada, newspaper, 1887, Kingston Daily British Whig, September 10.
Spain, any, 1896. ‘Los anillos de papel’. Repertorio Completo de Todos los Juegos.
UK, any, 1888. ‘Tricks with Paper Rings’. The Gatherer. Cassell's Family Magazine.
UK, newspaper, 1904. The Clevedon Mercury and Courier, December 17.
US, any, 1887. ‘Experiment with Paper Rings’. Scientific American. February 12.
US, newspaper, 1887. Atchison Daily Globe (US), September 6.
US, Magic, 1910. ‘The Paper Rings’. Magic, March.
Of note is the widespread and quick distribution, with all points of the globe covered.
Conclusion
So what can be drawn from all this? Of note is how quickly and widely the diagrams spread; in effect, the dispersal was effectively immediately, worldwide, appearing in America a little more than one month after the appearance in La Nature.
Created 20 March 2026
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