Book cover of Chasing Beauty

Book description

The vivid and masterful story of Isabella Stewart Gardner-creator of one of America's most stunning museums-an American original whose own life was remade by art. Includes archival photos of Isabella's world, museum, and the art she collected.

Isabella Stewart Gardner's museum, with its plain exterior enfolding an astonishing four-story Italian…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Chasing Beauty as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

There has been a dearth of prominent women in the art world; those who, like Vigée Le Brun, have succeeded in it, deserve our attention.  

This book offers us a vivid and insightful look into the personality of a remarkable woman, a pioneering art collector and creator of one of America’s iconic museums. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s treasures include masterwork paintings, tapestries, rare books, prints, porcelains, and fine furniture, all displayed exactly as Isabella wished.

Born into a privileged New York family, Isabella Stewart married Boston Brahmin Jack Gardner at a young age. Friendships – in the cream of…

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Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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