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- Exhibit Description:
- Letter written by John Brown in his jail cell a few days before his execution. The original letter was given to Mary Ann Brown at the time of her visit to her husband December 1, 1859. After his execution, Mrs. Brown sent the letter to Mrs. Stearns in a Bible. The letter reads: "Charlestown, Jefferson Co., Va., 29th Nov. 1859. Mrs George L Stearns, Boston, Mass. My Dear friend, No letter I have received since my imprisonment here, has given me more satisfaction, or comfort: than yours of the 8th inst. I am quite cheerful: & was never more happy. Have only time [to] write you a word. May God forever reward you & all yours. My love to All who love their neighbours. I have asked to be spared from having any mock; or hypocritical prayers made over me, when I am publicly murdered: & that my only religious attendants be poor little, dirty, ragged, bare headed & barefooted, Slave Boys; & Girls; Led by some old greyheaded, Slave Mother. Farewell. Farewell. Your Friend, John Brown."
- Attribution:
- Brown, John
- Attribution Statement:
- Image courtesy of the West Virginia State Archives, John Brown/Boyd B. Stutler Collection
- Exhibit Tags:
- John BrownlettersdocumentsMary E. StearnsWest Virginia
- Exhibit Description:
- Cabinet card featuring the John Brown bust owned by Mary E. Stearns. The photograph used for the card was printed by W. Shaw Warren of Cambridgeport, Cambridge, MA.
- Attribution:
- Warren, W. Shaw
- Attribution Statement:
- The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, Photography Collection, The New York Public Library
- Exhibit Tags:
- John BrownphotographsEdward Augustus BrackettMary E. StearnssculpturesCambridge
- Exhibit Description:
- Lock of John Brown's hair. The tags read "Hair of John Brown of Ossawatomie, given to me by Mrs. Stearns, 1869 -L. Alexander," "John Brown's hair, cut off of his funeral by his daughter, given by her to Mrs. G.L. Stearns, by Mrs. Stearns to me, L.G.A."
- Attribution Statement:
- Courtesy of the Medford Historical Society & Museum
- Exhibit Tags:
- John BrownobjectsMary E. StearnsdocumentsMedford Historical Society and Museum
- Exhibit Description:
- Letter from Lydia Maria Child in Wayland, MA, to John Brown while in prison, October 26, 1859. (Note: The front and back page of this letter have been placed side by side.) In the letter, she decries Brown's violence, but assures him "that no honest man ever shed his blood for freedom in vain, however much he may be mistaken in his efforts."
- Attribution:
- Child, Lydia Maria
- Attribution Statement:
- Image courtesy of kansasmemory.org, Kansas State Historical Society, Copy and Reuse Restrictions Apply
- Exhibit Tags:
- Kansas State Historical SocietyLydia Maria ChildJohn BrownlettersdocumentsWaylandWest Virginia
- Exhibit Description:
- Photograph of John Brown after he began wearing a beard, taken in 1858 or 1859. This is the last known photographed portrait of John Brown.
- Attribution:
- Lawrence, Martin M. (attributed)
- Attribution Statement:
- Courtesy of the Library of Congress
- Exhibit Tags:
- Library of CongressJohn Brownphotographs
- Exhibit Description:
- Oil on canvas mural of John Brown in Kansas.
- Attribution:
- Curry, John Steuart
- Attribution Statement:
- Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund, 1950
- Exhibit Tags:
- John BrownpaintingsMetropolitan Museum of Art
- Exhibit Description:
- Card with the A. C. Russell woodcut of the bust of John Brown (by Edward A. Brackett) and a statement by Brown given to George L. Stearns in Medford, 1857: "Mr. Stearns, I consider the Golden Rule and the Declaration of Independence one and inseparable." On the reverse is a handwritten note that the bust was owned by Mrs. Mary Stearns regarding the bust's creation: Wood- cut of the Bust of John Brown in the possession of Mrs. Stearns - the only one in the world. It was taken by her order while awaiting execution in the Virginia Prison, October 1859."
- Attribution Statement:
- Image courtesy of the West Virginia State Archives, John Brown/Boyd B. Stutler Collection
- Exhibit Tags:
- John BrownGeorge L. StearnsWest Virginia State Archivesdrawings
- Exhibit Description:
- Oil on canvas painting of John Brown on the way to his execution on December 2, 1859. Brown, still injured from the failed raid at Harpers Ferry, was said to have kissed the head of a black baby on his way to the gallows.
- Attribution:
- Hovenden, Thomas
- Attribution Statement:
- Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Stoeckel, 1897
- Exhibit Tags:
- John BrownMetropolitan Museum of ArtpaintingsWest Virginia
9. John Brown
- Exhibit Description:
- Marble bust of John Brown sculpted by Edward Augustus Brackett,1860. Size: 28" x 20.5" x 12.5".
- Attribution:
- Brackett, Edward Augustus
- Attribution Statement:
- Image courtesy of the Tufts University Permanent Collection
- Exhibit Tags:
- John BrownEdward Augustus BrackettStearns EstatesculpturesTufts University Permanent Collection
- Exhibit Description:
- Letter from Edward A. Brackett to George L. Stearns that reads, "My Dear Sir What do you think about taking a bust of old Brown. Can any thing be done about it. I shall be at my rooms till a quarter past 2 o'clock and should like to know what you think about it. Yours with regard, E.A. Brackett."
- Attribution:
- Brackett, Edward Augustus
- Attribution Statement:
- Image courtesy of the West Virginia State Archives, John Brown/Boyd B. Stutler Collection
- Exhibit Tags:
- Edward Augustus BrackettGeorge L. StearnsJohn BrownWest Virginia State Archiveslettersdocuments
- Exhibit Description:
- View of the Stearns Estate and beyond that Medford from College Hill. The Stearns Estate mansion is located in among the trees in the lower left quadrant. The caption reads, "The Medford view in '74. This is somewhat to the east of the one above which brings the Stearns house near the left of the picture. The Royall House is the building with four end chimneys near the center of the picture. In the lower right hand corner the tower of the old Stearns windmill is barely visible."
- Attribution Statement:
- Tufts Digital Collections and Archives
- Exhibit Tags:
- George L. StearnsJohn BrownTufts UniversityStearns EstatephotographsMedfordMary E. StearnsTufts DCA
- Exhibit Description:
- Perhaps the first publication of the text of the "John Brown Song," with the notation at the bottom reading, "From an Original in the Possession of Mr. Abram E. Cutter of Charlestown." Republished in George Kimball, "Origin of the John Brown Song", New England Magazine, vol. 7, no. 4 (1889), 374.
- Attribution Statement:
- Image from Wikimedia Commons
- Exhibit Tags:
- John BrownCivil WarbroadsidesWikimedia Commonsmusicpublications
- Exhibit Description:
- The busts of John Brown (by Edward A. Brackett) and George L. Stearns (by Samuel Morse) on display in the Tisch Library at Tufts University in 2017. Photograph taken August 16, 2017.
- Attribution:
- Long, Jules
- Attribution Statement:
- Image copyright Tufts University
- Exhibit Tags:
- John BrownGeorge L. StearnsTufts UniversitysculpturesEdward Augustus BrackettStearns Estatephotographs
- Exhibit Description:
- Quarter-plate daguerreotype of John Brown holding what is believed to be an antislavery flag. This is the earliest photograph of John Brown known to exist. It was taken by black photographer Augustus Washington in Hartford, Connecticut.
- Attribution:
- Washington, Augustus
- Attribution Statement:
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; purchased with major acquisition funds and with funds donated by Betty Adler Schermer in honor of her great-grandfather, August M. Bondi
- Exhibit Tags:
- John BrownphotographsSmithsonian National Portrait Gallery
- Exhibit Description:
- Letter from John Brown written to George L. Stearns from Tabor, Iowa. The letter is dated August 10, 1857. Brown wrote, "I am in immediate want of from Five Hundred to One Thousand Dollars for secret service & no questions asked."
- Attribution:
- Brown, John
- Attribution Statement:
- Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- Exhibit Tags:
- John BrownGeorge L. StearnsSmithsonian National Portrait GallerylettersdocumentsIowaBoston
- Exhibit Description:
- Etching by Victor Hugo of John Brown hanging on the noose after his execution in Charles Town, (West) Virginia, December 2, 1859. While in exile on the Isle of Guernsey, Hugo wrote an open letter requesting that Brown be pardoned; that letter was in fact written the day of Brown's execution. This sketch was used as the frontispiece for a treatise that Hugo published the following year.
- Attribution:
- Hugo, Victor
- Attribution Statement:
- From John Brown by Victor Hugo, 1860.
- Exhibit Tags:
- John BrownVictor Hugodrawingspublications
- Exhibit Description:
- Advertisement for John Brown medallions sculpted by Edmonia Lewis. This ad was placed in the 25 March 1864 edition of The Liberator, an antislavery magazine based out of Boston. Lewis was able to raise enough money through her sales to fund her relocation to Italy.
- Exhibit Tags:
- John BrownEdmonia LewisadvertisementsThe LiberatorpublicationsBoston
- Exhibit Description:
- Page on which are reproductions of photographs of John Brown's Northern Supporters, known as the Secret Six: George L. Stearns, Gerrit Smith, Frank B. Sanborn, T. W. Higginson, Theodore Parker and Samuel G. Howe. This six funded John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry.
- Attribution Statement:
- Image courtesy of the West Virginia State Archives, John Brown/Boyd B. Stutler Collection.
- Exhibit Tags:
- John BrownGeorge L. StearnsFranklin SanbornSamuel Gridley HoweThomas Wentworth HigginsonGerrit SmithWest VirginiaWest Virginia State Archivesphotographs
- Exhibit Description:
- Pike said to be one of the 954 pikes purchased by John Brown (with funds provided by George L. Stearns) for the attack at Harper's Ferry. The label associated with the object reads "Col. Stearns Estate, John Brown's pike." Whether the pike is truly one of the 954 is unknown; its previous whereabouts were not recorded.
- Attribution Statement:
- Courtesy of the Medford Historical Society & Museum
- Exhibit Tags:
- objectsJohn BrownGeorge L. StearnsMedford Historical Society and MuseumWest Virginia
- Exhibit Description:
- Article written by Lydia Maria Child titled "Brackett's Bust of John Brown," published in the New York Tribune on 11 February 1860, page 9, column 6. [Note: Image has been reformatted digitally; the original article sits in a single column.] Text: "The best things of this world never obtrude themselves on public notice. Walking through Washington St. one may see plenty of rich jewelry sparkling in the windows, graceful statuettes, and vases moulded in to every form of beauty. But the gem of gems, the thing most worth seeing in all the city, is in an artist's studio, up two flight of stairs, 24 Tremont Row. There those who visit Boston can see Brackett's wonderful bust of John Brown. That the whole press has not lauded it, with one universal chorus of praise, is merely because the name of John Brown is, at this time, an apple of discord.Those who knew the martyred hero well, pronounce it an admirable likeness. Such is the written testimony of Sennott, the lawyer who was with him during his trial. The artist labored under the disadvantage of not being allowed to enter the prison, when he went to Virginia for the purpose of making this bust. But a friend took accurate measurements for him, and he had enlarged photographs to guide him. It is also a fortunate circumstance that he chanced to meet John Brown in the streets of Boston, several months before his brave bearing at Harper's Ferry had made him world-famous. The expression of the face, and the carriage of the head attracted his artistic eye. He said to himself 'There's a head for a sculptor.' He looked after him earnestly, and went back, in order to pass him again. Upon inquiring who it was, he was told, 'That is old John Brown of Kansas.' The strong impression then made on his mind had much to do with his subsequent desire of going to Virginia for the purpose of modelling his head. The Virginians refused to grant opportunities for this work, partly because they suspected he was secretly employed to make a plan of the jail, with a view to rescue; and partly because they wanted John Brown to die, and there to be 'an end of him,' as some of them expressed it; a wish which does not seem to be in a very fair way of fulfilment.When the artist returned, his soul was so completely absorbed in his work, that John Brown was continually before him, in the dreams of the night, and the mental visions of the day. He read attentively all his writings and sayings, in order to become thoroughly imbued with his character. With such concentration of thought, perhaps it is not extraordinary that he should have produced an excellent likeness. But it required genius to make it so alive. It is this that makes it impress me more deeply than anything I have seen of modern sculpture. There are many statues with graceful outline, and exquisitely cut; but the soul, that made the marble seem to breathe in ancient sculpture, is almost always wanting. In Brackett's Bust of Brown, the character of the man looks through the features wonderfully. Any good judge, that examined it, without knowing whom it was intended to portray, would say, "That is a man of strong will, and lofty courage; kindly of heart, and religious to the very core of his being."A Boston gentleman, who has lived much in Europe, exclaimed, "It is singularly like Michael Angelo's Moses"! Other visitors have also observed this resemblance. But Mr. Brackett had never seen Michael Angelo's Moses, nor any representation of it. In fact, the similarity is merely in character. It is the sublime expression, the air of moral grandeur, which connects the two in the imagination of the spectator. This is not surprising, when we reflect that Michael Angelo had for his ideal the ancient hero, who led his brethren out of bondage, at the command of Jehovah, and Brackett sought to embody the modern hero, whose soul was filled with the same great idea.That the effect produced on my mind is not peculiar, I will prove by two witnesses, whose prejudices would have pre-disposed them to be unfavorable critics. The sculptor's conservative friends were, of course, not pleased with the object of his visit to Virginia. One of them, meeting him in State St. a short time ago, said, 'What are you doing now, Brackett?' 'I have just finished my bust of John Brown,' was the reply. 'Ah, I was sorry to hear of your going to Virginia. It will be a great injury to you,' said the Conservative. The sculptor replied, 'An artist must seek materials wherever he can find them; and rarely can such material be found, as the head of John Brown. You had better come and see it.' 'Not I. The old murderer!' was the abrupt answer. 'Then come and look at the bust of Choate; for I have completed that also,' said Mr. Brackett. A few days afterward, the hunker gentleman called to see the bust of Choate. As he stood before it, he glanced furtively, from time to time, at the head of John Brown, which stood nearby. It seemed to attract him powerfully; for he soon turned and gazed upon it. At last, he asked, 'Is that a good likeness?' 'Those who knew John Brown well agree in telling me so,' replied the sculptor. The hunker looked at it thoughtfully, and said, 'I would give a good deal to think it was a fancy-sketch.' In the presence of that calm, strong, reverential head, he could not repeat the words, 'an old murderer.'An artist who was extremely hostile to John Brown, after looking at this magnificent head, exclaimed, 'The old curse! He ought to be ashamed of himself, for making all the rest of us look so mean.'This remarkable bust is ordered in marble. There are also many orders for copies in plaster. Admirable photographs of it are for sale; but, of course, the best of photographs can never do entire justice to statues.Should this head be dug up, after lying buried for centuries, and there should be no clue to its history, it would at once take conspicuous rank in galleries of Art, and men would say to each other; 'It might be a head of Jupiter, were there not something so Christian in its character.'L. Maria Child."
- Attribution:
- Child, Lydia Maria
- Exhibit Tags:
- publicationsLydia Maria ChildNew York TribuneEdward Augustus BrackettJohn Brown