Unknown
Letter Opener, 1860-1880
Ivory, 44.9 x 3.8 x 1.6 cm (17 11/16 x 1 1/2 x 5/8 in.)
This ivory letter opener has a smooth and somewhat shiny surface. It appears to have been carved as one long piece with rounded ends. The top end of the letter opener is slightly thinner to facilitate inserting beneath an envelope flap. About two-thirds down, the initials J.L.G. (John Lowell Gardner, Jr.) are inscribed. There are traces of wear along the edges of the thinner end and a single vertical crack appears at the opposite end, suggesting frequent use.
Tapestry Room
Commentary
Inscribed 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.