Isabella Stewart Research Paper

Isabella Stewart Gardner was one of America’s most remarkable female patrons of the arts during the Victorian era. A leading art collector, she fulfilled a dream to share her treasures from around the world when she founded the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. Gardner did not conform to the conservative code of conduct expected of Boston matrons at the time and instead, is remembered for having a “zest for life, an energetic intellectual curiosity and a love of travel” (Carter). From a young age, Isabella Stewart Gardner lead an engaging, exuberant life that included traveling, entertaining, and adventure which resulted in a passion for collecting and sharing fine art. Isabella Stewart had an interesting and beautiful …show more content…
The grand opening celebration featured a special performance. The members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra performed along with champagne and doughnuts (Fenway Court). She lived on the fourth floor of the museum. After she passed away, the fourth floor was a residence for the museum’s director (Fenway Court). Recently, it is used as offices for the museum. Her death was a loss for the city of Boston. In 1919, the woman who lead an engaging, exuberant life that included traveling, entertaining, and adventure, suffered a series of strokes and died five years later (Fenway Court). At Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, she is buried in the Gardner family tomb, between her husband and son (Fenway Court). Her will included an endowment of $1 million and gave an outline of stipulations for the support of the museum (Fenway Court). One of the biggest stipulations was that the collection not be altered. Her collection and the way it is placed in the museum were very important to her. Her will also left other requests (Fenway …show more content…
Her dream was fulfilled to share her treasures from around the world, which also showed her passion for collecting and sharing fine art. The fulfillment of sharing her treasures included: selecting the objects, paying for them, designing the building, superintending its construction, installing the construction, presiding as Director and being the single benefactor (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum). The museum is so monumental because it’s her taste. Her purpose was to not her name, but her theories. Her museum was built in a way to “fire imaginations” (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum). It was created to provide pleasure and show her passion for collecting and sharing fine art. Music and flowers were to her the “logical accompaniment for the visual arts, and a place in the museum was provided for them” (Fenway Court). The tradition is still carried on