Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 70,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World to soldiers’ letters from World War II and Vietnam. Explore primary sources, visit exhibitions in person or online, or bring your class on a field trip.

Back to Collection Search

Stowe, Harriet Beecher (1811-1896) to Dr. Stone

High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01584.01 Author/Creator: Stowe, Harriet Beecher (1811-1896) Place Written: Brunswick, Maine Type: Autograph letter signed Date: circa spring 1851 Pagination: 1 p. ; 21 x 13.5 cm

Summary of Content: Writes from "Woodside Cottage." Says she just received his letter and hopes to see him in Boston next week. Asks him "to make no public mention if you have not, of the Uncle Tom project till I have seen you. Don't mention it at any rate till then." Stowe began writing "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in early 1851. The recipient may be Rev. Thomas Treadwell Stone (1801-1895), a Unitarian minister, writer, Transcendentalist, and abolitionist from Massachusetts.

Background Information: Woodside Cottage may have been located near Brunswick, Maine, where Stowe would have been living with her family in early 1851.

People: Stowe, Harriet Beecher, 1811-1896

Historical Era: National Expansion and Reform, 1815-1860

Subjects: African American HistorySlaveryUncle TomLiterature and Language ArtsWomen's HistoryAbolitionReform MovementTranscendentalist

Sub Era: Age of Jackson

Order a Copy Citation Guidelines for Online Resources

Copyright Notice: The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.