Isabella Inspired
Mrs. Jack: A Biography of Isabella Stewart Gardner
$21.95
An in-depth biography of Isabella Stewart Gardner of Boston, via New York, in the 19th century. An American charmer and art collector, Isabella Stewart Gardner and her husband Jack kept company with many leading cultural figures of the day including Henry James, John Singer Sargent and James McNeill Whistler.
By Louise Hall Tharp
408 pages
Reprinted by CS Graphics, 2016
Paperback
8 x 6 inches
Isabella Stewart Gardner Ornament
$16.95
This ornament of Isabella Stewart Gardner is directly inspired by her portrait painted by John Singer Sargent and displayed in the Gothic Room.
Mrs. Gardner sat for Sargent during his visit to Boston in January 1888. He was paid $3000 for the portrait, which was exhibited to great acclaim at Boston’s St. Botolph Club. The work also inspired gossip and legend: someone jokingly titled it “Woman: An Enigma,” while others believed that the sensuous display of flesh deliberately echoed the scandal recently created by Sargent’s Madame X. Mrs. Gardner herself said that she rejected eight renderings of the face until she was satisfied.
Jack Gardner seems to have asked his wife not to publicly show the portrait again while he was alive, and indeed the portrait was placed in the Gothic Room, which remained private until Mrs. Gardner’s death. In its gallery, surrounded by altarpieces, stained glass, and religious statuary, the sacramental quality noted by nineteenth-century reviewers is even more pronounced.
Ornaments of other subjects and artists featured in the Gardner Museum also available. Complete your collection of Gardner Museum-inspired ornaments with Sargent's vision of the Museum's founder!
Belle's Rose Tea
$16.00
For centuries, Chinese tea merchants have carefully created blends for tea drinkers in both London and Boston.
Featuring aromatic rose petals, this Chinese black tea was a popular blend for tea parties at the beginning of the 20th century. Isabella Stewart Gardner (called ‘Belle’ by her close friends) hosted many such tea events in her Fenway Palace.
This tea comes from our collection of loose teas inspired by the Museum and blended by Elmwood Inn Fine Teas.
Ingredients: Black Chinese tea, rose petals
NET WT. 3.5 oz (100G)
Isabella Quote Mug: "My Garden is Riotous"
$15.00
“My garden is riotous, unholy, deliriously glorious!
I wish you were here.” - Isabella Stewart Gardner in a letter to Bernard Berenson dated June 24, 1898
When Isabella Stewart Gardner agreed to sponsor the career of an aspiring young writer named Bernard Berenson, neither dreamed that together they would build one of the country’s most impressive private collections of fine art. Berenson--or B.B., as he signed off on his letters--became Mrs. Gardner’s chief art adviser and her dear friend, as well as America’s leading expert on Italian Renaissance painting.
In her missive to Berenson, Mrs. Gardner referenced the flora growing at the Gardner’s Brookline estate Green Hill, which Jack Gardner inherited from his father in 1884. Here, Mrs. Gardner continued to cultivate her lifelong love of horticulture. The spirit of Mrs. Gardner’s passion for plants blooms perennially in the Courtyard and throughout her Museum.
11 oz. ceramic mug
Dishwasher and microwave safe
Afternoon Tea
$16.00
Throughout the early 1900s, teapots in London and Boston were filled with black teas grown across the British Empire. These rich and malty blends were created with the British taste for tea with milk and sugar in mind.
Afternoon Tea was created for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and crafted to be served as the perfect beverage for a classic afternoon tea.
This tea comes from our collection of loose teas inspired by the Museum and blended by Elmwood Inn Fine Teas.
Ingredients: Handpicked blacks teas from India, Kenya, and Sri Lanka
NET WT. 3.5 oz (100G)
Isabella Said Bookmark Set
$7.95
Make a statement with this set of 8 paper bookmarks prominently featuring quotes and sayings attributed to Isabella Stewart Gardner!
7.25 x 2.25 inches eachPaper
Isabella Stewart Gardner, Dog Lover
$19.95
Isabella Stewart Gardner was a force to be reckoned with. She routinely went toe-to-toe with major museums and titans of industry to purchase masterpieces, created a museum unlike any other, and was famous for consistently flouting the social conventions that governed women of her time. However, this book shows another side of Isabella that readers may not expect: her love of dogs.
Richly illustrated with images from the collection and museum archives, this volume allows readers to meet Isabella's favorite dogs (Kitty Wink and Patty Boy), see the litters of puppies she bred, and discover how her dogs were a comfort toward the end of her life. Usually stern in photographs, Isabella - like many people - could not help grinning when posing for photos with puppies. This enthusiasm for dogs is also evident in her correspondence. As she wrote excitedly to her art advisor Bernard Berenson: "Part of my morning's work has been to try to induce two 9 days old fox terrier pups to open their eyes again. They did once; and then clapped them to, with a vim that seemed to say that the box they found themselves in was not the ideal they had come to this world to see!" Even the dogs of celebrities - both celebrities she knew personally, and others she admired from afar - drew her attention. This book also features some of the many photographs she collected of notable people and their dogs, like the painter Anders Zorn and his adorable pup Mouche and Caesar, the regal and loyal terrier who belonged to King Edward VII and even marched in the monarch's funeral parade.
From gathering Renaissance masterpieces to raising Fox Terriers, this book shows that Isabella approached all her tasks with enthusiasm and dedication. By learning about her love of her canine companions, this book presents a more human side of Isabella than typically on display.
Written by Diana Greenwald, Assistant Curator of the Collection at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
40 pages
Published by Paul Holberton Publishing, 2020
Hardcover
9 x 9 inches
Gardner Tassel Bookmark
$2.95
Isabella Stewart Gardner
1888
John Singer Sargent (Florence, 1856 - 1925, London)
Oil on canvas
Mrs. Gardner sat for Sargent during his visit to Boston in January 1888. He was paid $3000 for the portrait, which was exhibited to great acclaim at Boston’s St. Botolph Club. The work also inspired gossip and legend: someone jokingly titled it “Woman: An Enigma,” while others believed that the sensuous display of flesh deliberately echoed the scandal recently created by Sargent’s Madame X. Mrs. Gardner herself said that she rejected eight renderings of the face until she was satisfied.
Jack Gardner seems to have asked his wife not to publicly show the portrait again while he was alive, and indeed the portrait was placed in the Gothic Room, which remained private until Mrs. Gardner’s death.
In its gallery, surrounded by altarpieces, stained glass, and religious statuary, the sacramental quality noted by nineteenth-century reviewers is even more pronounced.
6 x 2 inches
Isabella Quote Mug: "Don't Spoil A Good Story By Telling The Truth"
$15.00
This mug—perfect for sipping some of our Courtyard-inspired loose leaf teas—prominently features a quote attributed to Isabella Stewart Gardner: "Don't spoil a good story by telling the truth.” This quotation captures Mrs. Gardner's knowledge of her scandalous reputation in 19th century Boston society. The perfect gift for the elaborate story teller in your life!
11 oz. ceramic mug
Dishwasher and microwave safe
Jasmine Pearl Tea
$16.00
Jasmine Pearl Tea is from our line of loose teas inspired by the art in Isabella Stewart Gardner's Collection and blended by Elmwood Inn Fine Teas.
Ingredients: Hand-picked spring green tea from Fujian Province of China scented with pure Jasmine.
NET WT. 3.5 oz (100G)
The Letters of Bernard Berenson and Isabella Stewart Gardner 1887-1924
$48.00
Available exclusively through Gift at the Gardner, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is thrilled to offer a limited re-print of an "indispensable edition."
When Isabella Stewart Gardner agreed to sponsor the career of and aspiring young writer named Bernard Berenson, neither dreamed that together they would build one of this country's most impressive collections of Italian Renaissance painting. The correspondence between Bernard Berenson and Isabella Stewart Gardner offers fresh insight into the origins of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and gives voice to an enduring friendship that created and nurtured it.
The more than eight hundred letters included in this volume record the evolving relationship between two singular personalities: a flamboyant socialite known for lively eccentricities and her engagement with the arts; and the brilliant connoisseur and America's leading expert on Italian Renaissance painters. Their correspondence spans nearly four decades and presents a vivid portrait of their passionate interests, their perennial travels and their liaisons with artists and intellectuals on both sides of the Atlantic, including Edith Wharton, Walter Lippmann, Sarah Bernhardt, John Singer Sargent, and George Santayana.
Mary Berenson, who abandoned her comfortable and conventional first marriage to become protégée and, later, the wife and close collaborator of Berenson, becomes correspondent after 1901. Indeed, Mrs. Gardner's hunch that she now had "two friends instead of one" is borne out in the lively series of letters from Mary, who comes to play an increasingly vital role in her husband's multifaceted achievements.
The reprint of this indispensable 1987 edition includes a new preface co-authored by Dr. Machtelt Bruggen Israels, guest researcher, University of Amsterdam, and Dr. Carl Brandon Strehlke, curator emeritus, Philadelphia Museum of Art. Together they explore the relationship between Isabella Stewart Gardner and Bernard Berenson that emerges from the correspondence. Meticulously edited and annotated by Rollin van N. Hadley, former director of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, these elegant and entertaining letters continue to be an enduring resource for art historians and others concerned with the development of connoisseurship and the evolution of taste. At the same time, they pay tribute to a remarkable museum and the very personal visions that brought it to life.
Edited and annotated by Rollin van N. Hadley, former director of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
718 pages
Published by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 2016
Paperback
9.1 x 1.8 x 6.4 inches
Isabella Stewart Gardner in Venice Magnet
$6.00
Isabella Stewart Gardner in Venice
1894
Anders Zorn, Swedish, 1860-1920
While visiting the Gardners in Boston in February 1894, Anders Zorn made an etching of Mrs. Gardner, which neither of them considered to be a complete success. Later that year Zorn and his wife visited the Gardners in Venice, staying for several weeks as their guests in the Palazzo Barbaro. He attempted again to make a portrait of Mrs. Gardner, but continued to struggle with the task. One evening, Mrs. Gardner stepped out into the balcony to see what was happening outside, and as she came back into the drawing-room, pushing the French windows open, Zorn exclaimed (according to Morris Carter): “Stay just as you are! That is the way I want to paint you.” He went instantly for his materials, and then and there the portrait was begun.
3.5 x 2.5 inches
Made in the USA
Isabella Quote Mug: "Win as Though You Were Used to It"
$15.00
This mug—perfect for sipping some of our Courtyard-inspired loose leaf teas—prominently features a quote attributed to Isabella Stewart Gardner: ""Win as though you were used to, it and lose as if you liked it." This quotation captures Mrs. Gardner's knowledge of her scandalous reputation in 19th century Boston society. Sip your cares away with this mug as though you were used to it and as though you liked it!
11 oz. ceramic mug
Dishwasher and microwave safe
Titian Mug with Gift Box
$29.95
This elegant mug features Titian's interpretation of Europa, one of Jupiter's great loves, shortly after she initially meets the god disguised as a beautiful white bull. Written in gold on the mug's inside is an excerpt from a letter written by Isabella Stewart Gardner to her art advisor, Bernard Berenson, after he had secured the masterpiece for her; it reads "When comes Europa? I am feverish about it." The cup's elegant gold handle pays tribute to the painting's beautiful gold frame.
The mug comes ready to gift in a box featuring a full view of Titian's painting, as well as a quote from a letter written by Bernard Berenson after he heard word of Europa's delivery to Mrs. Gardner. The quote reads "At last...the Europa is yours."
Mug measures 3.5 x 5.75 inches (including handle)
Gift box measures 4 x 5.25 inches
Hand-wash only
Do not microwave
Estimated ship date: late-September
Isabella Quote Mug: "C'est Mon Plaisir"
$15.00
This mug—perfect for sipping some of our Courtyard-inspired loose leaf teas—prominently features a quote attributed to Isabella Stewart Gardner: "C'est mon plaisir,” or "It is my pleasure." The quotation reflects Mrs. Gardner's desire to share her Museum with the public, forever. We hope your pleasure will be sipping a warm beverage out of this lovely mug!
11 oz. ceramic mug
Dishwasher and microwave safe
Isabella Quote Mug: "Come to Tea"
$15.00
This mug—perfect for sipping some of our Courtyard-inspired loose leaf teas—prominently features a quote attributed to Isabella Stewart Gardner: "I feel that either we will soon become enemies, or also forever, very, very good friends. Come to tea with me this afternoon." This quotation captures the passionate and ambitious spirit of the Founder. The perfect gift for a "very, very good friend."
11 oz. ceramic mug
Dishwasher and microwave safe
Isabella Quote Mug: "Picture Habit"
$15.00
This mug—perfect for sipping some of our Courtyard-inspired loose leaf teas—prominently features a quote attributed to Isabella Stewart Gardner: "I suppose the picture-habit (which I seem to have) is as bad as the morphine or whisky one . . . " This quotation imparts the passion and enthusiasm Mrs. Gardner felt when building her Museum and acquiring the art in her collection. We hope that by visiting the Museum, you have acquired a "picture-habit" as well!
11 oz. ceramic mug
Dishwasher and microwave safe
Isabella Stewart Gardner Coin Purse
$12.00
Allow us to give you a hand with keeping your coinage together! This coin purse features the capable hands of the Museum's founder, Isabella Stewart Gardner as painted by John Singer Sargent. The neoprene case features a zip closure; the Museum's name is printed on the inside.
Mrs. Gardner sat for Sargent during his visit to Boston in January 1888. He was paid $3000 for the portrait, which was exhibited to great acclaim at Boston’s St. Botolph Club. The work also inspired gossip and legend: someone jokingly titled it “Woman: An Enigma,” while others believed that the sensuous display of flesh deliberately echoed the scandal recently created by Sargent’s Madame X. Mrs. Gardner herself said that she rejected eight renderings of the face until she was satisfied.
Jack Gardner seems to have asked his wife not to publicly show the portrait again while he was alive, and indeed the portrait was placed in the Gothic Room, which remained private until Mrs. Gardner’s death. In its gallery, surrounded by altarpieces, stained glass, and religious statuary, the sacramental quality noted by nineteenth-century reviewers is even more pronounced.
Made of neoprene with zipper closure
Measures 3.5 inches
Isabella Stewart Gardner Cosmetic Case
$18.00
Allow us to give you a hand with storing your cosmetics on-the-go! This cosmetics case features the capable hands of the Museum's founder, Isabella Stewart Gardner as painted by John Singer Sargent. The neoprene case features a zip closure; the Museum's name is printed on the inside.
Mrs. Gardner sat for Sargent during his visit to Boston in January 1888. He was paid $3000 for the portrait, which was exhibited to great acclaim at Boston’s St. Botolph Club. The work also inspired gossip and legend: someone jokingly titled it “Woman: An Enigma,” while others believed that the sensuous display of flesh deliberately echoed the scandal recently created by Sargent’s Madame X. Mrs. Gardner herself said that she rejected eight renderings of the face until she was satisfied.
Jack Gardner seems to have asked his wife not to publicly show the portrait again while he was alive, and indeed the portrait was placed in the Gothic Room, which remained private until Mrs. Gardner’s death. In its gallery, surrounded by altarpieces, stained glass, and religious statuary, the sacramental quality noted by nineteenth-century reviewers is even more pronounced.
Made of neoprene with zipper closure
Measures 9.5 x 5.5 x 2 inches
Isabella Stewart Gardner Quote Necklace: "My Garden is Riotous"
$80.00
“My garden is riotous, unholy, deliriously glorious!
I wish you were here.” - Isabella Stewart Gardner in a letter to her friend, protégé, and fellow art-lover: Bernard Berenson.
In her missive to Berenson, Mrs. Gardner referenced the flora growing at the Gardner’s Brookline estate 'Green Hill.' Here, Mrs. Gardner continued to cultivate her lifelong love of horticulture. The spirit of Mrs. Gardner’s passion for plants blooms perennially in the Courtyard and throughout her Museum.
16 inch chain
Gold vermeil chain and pendants
Handmade in the USA
Isabella Quote Mug: "Shan't You and I Have Fun With My Museum?"
$15.00
This mug—perfect for sipping some of our Courtyard-inspired loose leaf teas—prominently features a quote attributed to Isabella Stewart Gardner: "Shan’t you and I have fun with my museum?” This quotation imparts the passion and enthusiasm Mrs. Gardner felt when building her Museum for the enjoyment of the public, forever. We hope that you answer Mrs. Gardner's question with a resounding 'Yes!'
11 oz. ceramic mug
Dishwasher and microwave safe
Isabella Scarf
$47.00
Isabella Stewart Gardner
1888
John Singer Sargent, American, 1856-1925
Mrs. Gardner sat for Sargent during his visit to Boston in January 1888. He was paid $3000 for the portrait, which was exhibited to great acclaim at Boston’s St. Botolph Club. The work also inspired gossip and legend: someone jokingly titled it “Woman: An Enigma,” while others believed that the sensuous display of flesh deliberately echoed the scandal recently created by Sargent’s Madame X. Mrs. Gardner herself said that she rejected eight renderings of the face until she was satisfied.
In its gallery, surrounded by altarpieces, stained glass, and religious statuary, the sacramental quality noted by nineteenth-century reviewers is even more pronounced.
100% Polyester
Machine Washable
Isabella Stewart Gardner Pocket Mirror
$14.00
This pocket mirror features the confident gaze of the Museum's founder, Isabella Stewart Gardner as painted by John Singer Sargent. The mirror features a magnetic closure; the Museum's name and the full portrait of Mrs. Gardner is featured on the other side of the mirror.
Mrs. Gardner sat for Sargent during his visit to Boston in January 1888. He was paid $3000 for the portrait, which was exhibited to great acclaim at Boston’s St. Botolph Club. The work also inspired gossip and legend: someone jokingly titled it “Woman: An Enigma,” while others believed that the sensuous display of flesh deliberately echoed the scandal recently created by Sargent’s Madame X. Mrs. Gardner herself said that she rejected eight renderings of the face until she was satisfied.
Jack Gardner seems to have asked his wife not to publicly show the portrait again while he was alive, and indeed the portrait was placed in the Gothic Room, which remained private until Mrs. Gardner’s death. In its gallery, surrounded by altarpieces, stained glass, and religious statuary, the sacramental quality noted by nineteenth-century reviewers is even more pronounced.
3.5 x 2 inches
Polyurethane covered
Isabella Stewart Gardner Quote Necklace: "C'est Mon Plaisir"
$72.00
"C'est Mon Plaisir"
Isabella Stewart Gardner
The French translation of 'It is my pleasure' was Isabella Stewart Gardner's motto. The sentiment is felt around the Museum and can be seen today, emblazoned on a stone carving over the original entrance to the Museum.
The perfect gift for an equally gracious host as a house warming gift.
16 inch chain
Gold vermeil chain and pendants
Handmade in the USA
"C'est Mon Plaisir" Card
$5.95
This card—from local Big Wheel Press—prominently features a quote attributed to Isabella Stewart Gardner: "C'est mon plaisir,” or "It is my pleasure." The quotation reflects Mrs. Gardner's desire to share her Museum with the public, forever. The perfect card for the Bohemian in your life!
4.25 x 5.5 inchesPrinted on fine letterpress paper
Letterpress card with gold hot foil stamping, blank inside
Made in Massachusetts, USA
Isabella Bunker Magnet
$6.00
Isabella Stewart Gardner
1889
Dennis Miller Bunker, 1861-1890
Dennis Miller Bunker painted Isabella in a gown she wore to the Artists' Festival, a costume ball benefiting the Boston Art Students' Association in April of 1889. Isabella sat on the organizing committee for the evening and the Boston Globe reported that all of the patronesses of the event wore Venetian costumes from the time of Paolo Veronese. Bunker also attended the event dressed as a troubadour carrying a lute. A year later Bunker recalled Isabella in her regal attire, writing to her "I often think of you in Venetian state... do you wear your red and gold dress I wonder—or do your hair à la Tintoretto?" Isabella collected 6 other paintings and drawings by Bunker before he died tragically early at the age of 29.
2.5 x 3.5 inches
Made in the USA
"Shan't You and I" ISGM Journal
$26.00
This hardcover journal features a portrait of Mrs Gardner by John Singer Sargent on the front, printed with a velvet laminate finish that lends a high quality suede-like feel.
8.25 x 6 inches
Isabella Stewart Gardner Quote Necklace: "Don't Spoil a Good Story"
$72.00
"Don't spoil a good story by telling the truth.”
This quotation captures Mrs. Gardner's knowledge of her scandalous reputation in 19th century Boston society. The perfect gift for the elaborate story teller in your life!
16 inch chain
Gold vermeil chain and pendants
Handmade in the USA
"Don't Spoil A Good Story" ISGM Journal
$26.00
This hardcover journal features photograph of Mrs. Gardner on the front, printed with a velvet laminate finish that lends a high quality suede-like feel.
8.25 x 6 inches100 unlined pages
Isabella in Venice Patch
$9.50
Isabella Stewart Gardner in Venice
1894
Anders Zorn, Swedish, 1860 - 1920
Use this patch on your favorite t-shirt, bag or pants and show off your favorite Gardner Museum painting!
3.25 x 2.50 inchesFabric patch with iron-on backing
"C'est Mon Plaisir" ISGM Journal
$24.00
"C'est Mon Plaisir"
Isabella Stewart Gardner
This hardcover journal features a portrait of Mrs Gardner by James McNeill Whistler on the front, printed with a velvet laminate finish that lends a high quality suede-like feel.
8.25 x 6 inches
100 unlined pages
© 2022 Gift at the Gardner.
