Dr. John Stearns Jr. and Merian Stearns letters to Abby Hopper Gibbons

Gibbons and John Stearns met during the Civil War while working at an army hospital in Point Lookout, Maryland. John Stearns briefly mentions Gibbons's interest in the welfare of African Americans in the South and describes the christening of his first child, John Warren Stearns. He also discusses his travels in Italy, the festivals he saw in Venice, and the art he saw in Florence, with special attention to Hiram Powers. His wife Merian writes of the Florence's art scene and the works of Powers, including "California," which she describes in detail.