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Johannes Brahms - Envelope with Cigarette Butt, 3 September 1894

Johannes Brahms (Hamburg, 1833 - 1897, Vienna)

Envelope with Cigarette Butt, 3 September 1894

Ink and graphite on paper, cigarette butt , 12.6 x 15.3 cm (4 15/16 x 6 in.)

Commentary

The cigarette butt in this envelope comes from the lips of Johannes Brahms. Isabella Stewart Gardner routinely saved souvenirs of her friendships with contemporary musicians. During a visit to Brahms’ hometown of Ischl, Austria in 1894, a star-struck Gardner told a friend that she “somehow must meet him.” The very next day, she and the composer were spotted “having tea together like old friends,” perhaps with cigarettes in hand.