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What Isabella Wanted: Isabella Stewart Gardner Builds a Museum

Album Description

I have always been fascinated by the Gardner Museum so was very excited when I learned about the new picture book biography, What Isabella Wanted: Isabella Stewart Gardner Builds a Museum by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Matt Cordell.  I love that Gardner collected all different kinds of art and knick-knacks and that she then arranged them in a seemingly random way in her home.

From the biography, I learned other interesting facts.  Gardner opened her home to the public 20 days out of the year, and she charged them $1.00 to enter.  I also think it is fascinating that the 1990 theft of art work is considered one of the largest art heist's of modern history.  The museum still leaves the empty frames in the Museum.  

If I were to have a museum of my "art" and collections, I imagine it would be something like Gardner's.  After reading the picture book biography, I want to learn more about her as a person.  The LOC has some amazing primary sources about Gardner.

[Early Italian room in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, Massachusetts]

Reference link: http://www.loc.gov/item/90712937/

Reference note

Created / Published: c1925?
Subject Headings: -  Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum--Facilities--1920-1930
-  Galleries & museums--Massachusetts--Boston--1920-1930
-  Interiors--Massachusetts--Boston--1920-1930
-  Art exhibitions--Massachusetts--Boston--1920-1930
Genre: Photographic prints--1920-1930
Notes: -  J277449 U.S. Copyright Office.
-  Copyright by T.E. Morrison.
-  No. 20049.
Digital Id: cph 3c01608 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c01608

[Isabella (Stewart) Gardner, 1840-1924, full length portrait, standing, facing left]

Reference link: http://www.loc.gov/item/2005688963/

Reference note

Created / Published: c1925 June 4.
Notes: -  Photo of oil painting by Anders Zorn.
-  No. 23892.
-  This record contains unverified, old data from caption card.
-  Caption card tracings: BI; Artists, Publ. I.; Shelf. Sources checked: ddOcat. X G, Mrs. John Lowell.
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
Digital Id: cph 3b11337 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b11337

Isabella Stewart Gardner of Boston and husband, John L. Gardner (on right), with Anders Zorn and wife, Emma (on left), in 2 gondolas on Grand Canal in Venice, 1894

Reference link: http://www.loc.gov/item/2002718821/

Reference note

Created / Published: c1925 June 4.
Notes: -  J277281 U.S. Copyright Office
-  Photoprint copyrighted by T.F. Morrison.
-  Title information provided by Kristin Parker of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
Digital Id: cph 3b35804 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b35804

[Isabella Stewart Gardner, full-length portrait, standing, facing front]

Reference link: http://www.loc.gov/item/94510747/

Reference note

Contributor Names: Sargent, John Singer, 1856-1925, artist
Created / Published: c1925.
Subject Headings: -  Gardner, Isabella Stewart,--1840-1924
Genre: Portrait paintings--Reproductions--1920-1930
Portrait photographs--1920-1930
Photographic prints--1920-1930
Notes: -  J277804 U.S. Copyright Office.
-  Photograph of painting by John S. Sargent.
Digital Id: cph 3c12024 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c12024