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Confectionary

“In the morning at 7! Adored my presents. One of them was Venetian Curaçao; another was from Mrs. Hope Kirk Wilson—a real Scotch cake. I am eating and drinking like mad, for I love both!...”

Isabella Stewart Gardner in a letter to Bernard Berenson, December 26th, 1908

A little known fact about Isabella Stewart Gardner is that art collector and Museum founder was a foodie! The Museum's collection holds Gardner's recipe book, considered to be the most impressive and personal of her food-related possessions. The recipe book includes instructions for making lady fingers, after-dinner coffee, cakes, and glazes. When the Museum opened on the evening of New Year's Day in 1908, Gardner served the festivity's attendees one of her favorite treats: donuts.

View Gift at the Gardner's curated collection of confections and recipe books below, inspired by Gardner's art collection, the Museum's ever-changing Courtyard, and--of course--Gardner's sweet tooth!