Harriet Beecher Stowe: an improbable hero for humanity
Harriet Beecher Stowe is best known for her seminal tome, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852), but she was a prolific writer who published more than 30 books, including the influential "The American Woman's Home" (1869). Her home, however, reveals that she was so much more than the woman whose novel changed America.
Harriet Beecher Stowe (June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American abolitionist, author, intellectual, artist, avid gardener, social reformer, and devoted wife, mother, and sibling to the famous Beecher family. (Photo: Harvard University)
"Uncle Tom's Cabin", which has never gone out of print, out-sold all other books in the US, except the Bible, during the 1800s. It is purported that when Stowe (who stood just under 5' tall) met Pres. Lincoln in 1862, he said to her: "so you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war." (Photo: page illustration, by Hammatt Billings, for Uncle Tom's Cabin [First Edition: Boston: John P. Jewett and Company, 1852]. Image online, courtesy Library of Congress.)
The Beecher family (Harriet is seated, far right), included social reformers and activists, ministers (all 7 brothers), teachers, published writers, and pioneers of the women's and abolitionist movements. Their reformist views helped change the social fabric of America. This portrait was taken by the famous Civil War era photographer, Matthew Brady. (Photo: Brady's National Portrait Gallery, NY, NY)
Harriet with her famous brother, Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. (Photo: courtesy of Bowdoin College Museum of Art)
The Beecher-Tilton Affair Case was a sensational scandal that gripped the nation for two and half years and eclipsed Reconstruction in the newspapers. It involved an alleged affair that took place in the 1860s between Henry Ward Beecher and Elizabeth Tilton. At the time, Henry was the most famous preacher in the United States (on par with today's Billy Graham). The incident split the Beecher siblings, with Harriet taking her brother's side.
Trials and hearings ensued, including the charge of "criminal intimacy" brought against Henry by Theodore Tilton, Elizabeth husband. Ultimately, Henry was exonerated by both the court and (at his request) the Congregational Church, however, the Tilton's were excommunicated. Henry's reputation more or less survived the episode but his spiritual/moral authority was forever diminished.
The Stowes, 1852. The marriage between Calvin Ellis Stowe and Harriet Elizabeth Beecher in 1836 would produce 7 children (including firstborn twins, Harriet and Eliza, who arrived 9 months after the Stowes' married), of which she would outlive but 3. Calvin, a biblical scholar, who also served as her literary agent, encouraged Harriet to publish "Uncle Tom's Cabin" under her actual name, including her birth name, rather than her pen name, "Christopher Crowfield" as he knew the Beecher name would carry its own clout. (Photo: Calvin and Harriet Stowe, courtesy of Harvard University)
Portrait of Hattie and Eliza Stowe, 1855. The twins acted as chief copy editors and scribes for their mother's handwritten literary works. They were educated and well-traveled. Neither ever married and they lived at Forest St. well after their parents' deaths. Eventually, the house was sold, and they moved to Simsbury, CT, where their brother was minister of the local Congregational Church. (Photo: courtesy of Harvard Library)
Harriet Beecher Stowe, circa 1880. Although the Beechers and the Stowes were educated intellectuals, they were regarded as poor by 19th century middle class standards. Harriet took to writing to supplement the family's household income, and "Uncle Tom's Cabin" along with future published works, including, "The American Woman's Home", 1869 (another bestseller), greatly improved the Stowe's fortunes. In 1873, the Beechers moved one last time to the Nook Farm neighborhood, in Hartford. Their next door neighbor was Samuel Clemens, aka, Mark Twain. In a time when women could not vote, own property, easily ascertain higher education or professional employment, Harriet was the breadwinner in her household, and arguably one of the most famous individuals of her time. In spite of her immense talents she was susceptible to depression throughout her adult life. (Photo: courtesy of the Library of Congress)
The Harriet Beecher Stowe House, at 74 Forest Street, is an example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. The following pictures capture a three quarter tour of the property's exterior, moving right to left.
Front detail, right, east side.
West side.
View of neighboring mansion (Katharine Seymour Day House, Stowe's grand niece) serves as the administrative offices for the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. Katharine Seymour Day (May 8, 1870 - June 4, 1964) was a member of the Hartford City Planning Commission and dedicated her life to preserving Connecticut's historic homes. She purchased the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in 1924 for the purpose of converting it into a museum. She is an inductee of the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame.
Backside of house with kitchen door.
Harriet Beecher Stowe House, interior: Leading from the front entrance, this parlor, with its walls adorned with Harriet's own original oil paintings, was reserved mainly for family and visiting friends.
Doorway facing entrance to the best parlor. (Photo: postcard courtesy of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center)
The Best parlor, for receiving and entertaining guests. In the forefront, the large portrait on the right is that of the Duchess of Sutherland and her son. With the acclaim of "Uncle Tom's Cabin", the Duchess invited Harriet to England. During this visit, Harriet received 500,000 signatures from the women of Great Britain petitioning the women of the United States to pressure the government to end slavery. (Photo: postcard courtesy of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center)
Twins, Harriet (Hattie) and Eliza shared this bedroom. (Photo: postcard courtesy of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center)
Epicenter of the home, this kitchen was designed around "the philosophies in the 'American Woman's Home'". For instance, note the shallow-depth shelving, providing a single layer and open access for ease and efficiency.
In 1886, Harriet's husband, Calvin, died, and shortly thereafter her health began to decline. Mark Twain noted that she passed her days walking in and around neighbors' homes and properties at will, and that "she was a pathetic figure" as her memory gradually failed. She died at 85 years old in her Hartford home, 10 years after her husband.
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