Letter Opener
maker
Unknown
Date1860-1880
MediumIvory
Dimensions44.9 x 3.8 x 1.6 cm (17 11/16 x 1 1/2 x 5/8 in.)
ClassificationsTools and Equipment
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberU19e93
eMuseum ID718798
EmbARK ObjectID17428
TMS Source ID5700
Last Updated8/14/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryInscribed with the initials “J.L.G.”, this elegant letter-opener belonged to Isabella Stewart Gardner’s husband, John Lowell Gardner, Jr. Traces of wear along its edges suggest regular use; dirt worn into the fine cracks of the ivory recall the handling of its owner. Perhaps because of its connection to her domestic life, she chose to display the opener on a desk in the museum’s Tapestry Room.
MarksNotesIncised: JLG [probably John Lowell Gardner, Jr. (1838-1898)]
ProvenanceNotesProbably from the collection of Isabella Stewart Gardner's husband, John L. Gardner, Jr. (1837-1898).
Unknown
