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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Hovenden, Thomas (1840-1895) The last moments of John Brown

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00737 Author/Creator: Hovenden, Thomas (1840-1895) Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Print Date: 1885 Pagination: 1 print ; 82 x 68 cm Order a Copy

Etching on vellum, based on Hovenden's 1884 painting depicting John Brown kissing a black baby while on his way to the gallows. The painting was based on an incident reported in the New York Tribune, that later proved to be apocryphal. Printed by George Gebbie.

Hovenden, Thomas, 1840-1895
Brown, John, 1800-1859

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