Traveling Through the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was founded in 1903 by its namesake, who was an ardent supporter of the arts. Originally known as Fenway Court, the museum’s lavish grand opening featured a private gathering and performances by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Today, you could imagine this event being hosted in the central courtyard of the museum. In each room that surrounds the courtyard, there is an eclectic mix of art from different cultures and time periods, collected from Gardner’s travels across the world. The pieces in her collection reflect her love of travel, eccentric personality, and adventurous spirit. With a strong will and determination, Gardner designed and arranged the entire collection in her museum, where it has remained largely unmoved to this day. As an example of her unconventional manners, Gardner decided to leave out textual descriptions for each piece of art. She hoped to create a space that encouraged personal interactions with the art, regardless of your social status or educational background. While this decision leaves Gardner’s artistic choices open to question, it also invites individual interpretations of her arrangements throughout the museum.

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The Macknight room is cast in a warm yellow light, inviting you into Gardner’s private space.  

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A bookcase of rare books has been arranged against the right wall. 

On the first floor of the museum, the Macknight room is hidden away in the back corner behind a narrow entryway. Walking through it reveals an intimate room, where Isabella Stewart Gardner might have once taken respite or sat to write letters to friends. With an elaborately decorated writing desk and a bookcase of rare books against the right wall, the room resembles a personal office. The shades have been drawn to block the sunlight streaming in through the windows. A small desk lamp and a glass lantern hanging from the ceiling illuminate the room, casting a warm yellow light. This is in stark contrast to what is just outside the door, where high skylights allow bright rays of sunshine to bathe the courtyard. The dim lighting of the Macknight room contributes to the ambiance of a personal and private space, giving the room a sense of comfort that is not often found in large museum exhibit halls. In this room, viewers can feel less intimidated by the art on display and examine it more personally, without pretense. While the culture at that time, and even today, might suggest that appreciation of art should be limited to those of higher social status or educated individuals, this room suggests otherwise. Gardner created a comforting environment to invite everyone, even those without prior knowledge of the art’s historical and cultural contexts, to appreciate and engage with her collection of art. 

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A room guide provides brief descriptions of the south wall, identifying each object and work of art. 

The Macknight room was named after a watercolor artist whose work Gardner particularly enjoyed. She hung a total of fourteen Macknight paintings in this room, lining the top perimeter of the room. Her decision to position Macknight’s watercolors above other artists’ paintings suggested her respect and reverence for his work in particular. This display of the New England artist’s work showed Gardner’s appreciation for local artwork, which was especially appropriate in a room that aimed to provide a more familiar setting for visitors. Macknight’s works were impressionist style paintings, and this style was reflected in other works in the room as well. The blended colors and softened edges characteristic of these impressionist watercolors corresponded with the soft lighting in the room, further adding to the atmosphere of homely comfort. Still, this room did not simply provide viewers with the local comforts of home, as it also introduced foreign works of art from various cultures. 

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Dodge Macknight’s painting “A Lane Through an Orange Grove, Orihuela” hangs above the other paintings on this wall. On the commode below, a portrait of John Singer Sargent is nestled between jars of Egyptian sand.

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A closer look at Isabella Stewart Gardner’s writing desk, where a painting of a Japanese teahouse sits on top. 

Travel and nature were two of the predominant themes of the art in the room. As my eyes were drawn upward towards Macknight’s vivid watercolors, I noticed that many of his paintings depicted tree-lined paths and bodies of water. These familiar and comforting pathways invited viewers to consider the possibilities of exploring new places and acted as avenues to transport them to different worlds. Gardner had positioned these works near doorways to encourage further explorations beyond the four walls of the Macknight room. Other paintings in this room showed Venetian canals and a Japanese teahouse. The casual juxtaposition of local and foreign images helped to introduce viewers to novel experiences and exotic cultures without intimidation. This was evident in Gardner’s placement of American artist John Singer Sargent’s portrait between two jars of sand collected from the Egyptian pyramids. These themes of nature and travel suggested a society and culture fascinated with globalization and the increased communication and sharing of knowledge between different regions of the world. The works of art demonstrated growing curiosities and interests in learning about foreign cultures. During a time when traveling to other countries was difficult or impossible for many, the artwork in this room provided visitors with a glimpse into unfamiliar societies. 

In our society, art continues to act as a vehicle for exploring new cultures, ideas, and phenomena. It causes us to question our perspectives and worldviews by presenting them in different, novel frames. As this process of de-familiarization can be an uncomfortable one, some might hesitate to embark on this journey. Gardner’s encouragement comes in the form of the Macknight room, which provides a sense of physical protection, familiarity, and warmth to help us feel more at ease. The journey of engaging with art and allowing it to transform our preconceived notions of the world might seem risky at first, but it is bound to be a supremely rewarding experience. 

Works Cited:

 “About Isabella Stewart Gardner.” Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. 2016. Web. 27 April 2016.