Recipe Book
primary
Isabella Stewart Gardner
(New York, 1840 - 1924, Boston)
contributor
Adelia Smith Stewart
(American, 1814 - 1886)
Dateabout 1860
Place MadeNew York City, New York, United States, North America
MediumInk on paper
ClassificationsManuscripts
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberARC.009127
eMuseum ID721481
EmbARK ObjectID34808
TMS Source ID18264
Last Updated8/9/24
Status
Not on viewWeb Commentary
This handwritten recipe book is perhaps the most impressive and personal of Isabella's food-related possessions . She probably assembled it around 1860 during the early days of her marriage to Jack (John L. Gardner Jr.).
In the nineteenth century, a woman of Isabella’s class would have started her married life with books like these, often prepared with the help of her mother and the cook who had prepared food for her immediate family. The recipes appear in both pen and ink and pencil, suggesting that Isabella added recipes to the book over time.
BibliographyNotesDiana Seave Greenwald, "From Curacao to Corned Beef, Isabella's Favorite Foods," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 23 November 2020, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/curacao-corned-beef-isabellas-favorite-foods
Tiffany York, "Those Who Come Before Us Help Make Us Who We Art," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 1 February 2022, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/those-who-come-us-help-make-us-who-we-are
Tiffany York, "Those Who Come Before Us Help Make Us Who We Art," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 1 February 2022, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/those-who-come-us-help-make-us-who-we-are
Isabella Stewart Gardner
late 19th century - early 20th century
