Needlework Pieces

The two versions of Eva and Tom here represent examples of "Berlin work" -- wall hangings stitched with brightly colored wool according to patterns originally designed and printed in Berlin, Germany. The palm trees in both illustrations are typical of the way European Tomitudes imagined the American South.

The first example below shows both the paper pattern that the handcrafter bought (with the manufacturer's name, "A. Tvell in Berlin," at the bottom) and a completed piece made by copying that pattern (which could have been stitched almost anywhere in Europe or the American North). It illustrates the scene in Chapter 22 in which Tom and Eva read the Bible by Lake Pontchartrain:


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The second example (below) is about twice the size of the first, and much more sophisticated in its execution. Though very similar to the first image, the fountain and the wreath of flowers around Tom's neck indicate that this illustrates the scene of Tom and Eva in Chapter 16, at the St. Clare mansion in New Orleans. The Bible on Tom's lap here was added by the artist who designed the image. We haven't found any examples of Berlin work designs of any other scenes or characters in the novel.

The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Hartford, CT