Juanito Pardo (Zaragoza, 1884 - 1944, Buenos Aires)
Flamenco Record: "Zaragozanas Puras No. 1", "Zaragozanas Netas", early 20th century
Shellac with paper label , 25.5 cm (10 1/16 in.)
General admission for children 17 years and under is always free
This flamenco record album has a tan DISCO Gramophone label with the title “Zaragozanas Neta.” The top half of the label shows an image of a victrola to our left with a white dog with black ears to our right. The visible parts of the victrola include the wooden box base, the turntable, and the brass horn. The dog is sitting on its haunches, peering into the opening of the horn with its nose barely brushing the edge of the opening. In the bottom half, to our left, is a square white stamp printed in red with a pencil marking of an X. Next to the stamp, written in pencil in Isabella’s handwriting is the word “good.”
Macknight Room
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner and the artist John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) were close friends for decades. In addition to discussing art and travel, the two shared a love of music. In a letter preserved in the Museum Archives, Sargent describes their shared interest in flamenco and other Spanish music. The artist gave Isabella several flamenco records, which she clearly listened to: notes in her handwriting preserved on the labels classify each record as “good” or “bad.”