The Star of Chile

Advertisements

By the 1860s, the Anglo-Chilean colony of  Valparaíso had begun to leave the homogenous foreign enclave of Cerro Alegre, moving north into Viña del Mar and beyond and beginning to form deeper connections with Chilean culture. While all three of our newspapers are written primarily in English, in the Star of Chile we see, for the first time, greater linguistic hybridity. The newspaper's first and final pages often include adverstisements in both English and Spanish. Moreover, the influence of the French, German and other foreign colonies in Chile begins to appear, with advertisements for wine, pastries, etcetera. On September 16, 1905, for example, alongside an advertisement for a traditional Scottish whisky, we see an advertisement titled, in Spanish, “Arestizalbal."

Newspaper layout

The newspaper always begins with two pages of advertisements, demonstrating the chief source of its income. After that, the first pages devoted to editor-produced content generally focus on the major headlines of the week: economic and political happenings such as elections, bills coming before the Senate, the Chilean nitrate and mining industries, commerce and trade, and major natural disasters, epidemics, or other issues of immediate concern to a wide public.

Thus the paper's first pages focus on events that impact Chilean development: economics, politics, border disputes etcetera. For example, the issue in Dec 3, 1904 opens with a section creatively titled “Mining Intelligence” and including news about the mining industry, targeting readers interested in business and industry. 

Next, the paper moves on to more sensational news that might appeal to a general reader. Many titles in this section are deliberately intriguing or suspensful, such as “Whistler in the Witness-box” or “the forgotten tragedy," to compel readers to keep turning the paper's pages to finish one story and begin the next.

A piece of educative article in the Star of Chile

Poetry and literature

In addition to its news content, the Star of Chile included more creative offerings, alternating between prose writing and poetry to evoke emotions from the audiences. One unique and recurring feature, titled "Under the Lone Star," often opens with lines of poetry to draw readers into the column. In the issue of August 4th, 1906, this section begins with inspiring verses depicting bravery and patriotism, then introduces readers to the tradition of the "diez y ocho" or Sept. 18th, Chile’s national independence day. In other issues, "Under the Lone Star" opens with lines on horse racing, politics, and many other topics. 

With increasing frequency from 1905 onwards, the paper also runs serialized stories, often in just two or three parts but sometimes continuing for longer. Some of these are clearly lifted from British papers, but others are claimed as "Written especially for the Star of Chile."

Cultural and social reportage

Demonstrating the increased diversity of its readership as compared to that of earlier English-language newspapers, the Star of Chile also included regular columns on the arts, music, fashion, cooking, education, and other topics that seem targeted to women readers. The paper even developed an interactive section called the “Children’s Corner," which soon began to print letters from child readers. Other regular features include a "Ladies' Column," updating readers on the latest fashions and community events while sneaking in occasional discussions of feminism, and "High Class Cookery," providing recipes focused on local and seasonal foods. The editors also provide reviews of past musical and theatrical performances, as well as notices of upcoming events together with ticket information to encourage attendance. 

For contemporary researchers and general readers, a particularly interesting feature is a double-page spread at the center of most issues and featuring photographs or drawings of landscapes, historical monuments, important buildings, notable figures of the day, indigenous Chielans, and more.