The ninth issuance in the Distinguished Americans series honors Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896), author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, one of the most influential novels in American history. Stowe also penned several other novels, as well as children's stories, poems, and nonfiction works. She was a frequent contributor to publications such as Godey's Lady's Book and the Atlantic Monthly. Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in Litchfield, CT, on June 14, 1811; she died in Hartford, CT, on July 1, 1896. Artist Mark Summers based his portrait of Harriet Beecher Stowe on a circa 1855 stipple engraving by English engraver Francis Holl (1815-1884), which in turn was based on an earlier portrait of Stowe by English painter George Richmond (1809-1896). The engraving is from the collection of the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.