Isabella Stewart Gardner (New York, 1840 - 1924, Boston)
Die: Beach Hill, Pride's Crossing, Beverly, 1860-1870
Steel, 10.5 x 6.4 x 1.9 cm (4 1/8 x 2 1/2 x 3/4 in.)
This rectangular metal plate has brown and black areas of shading and small irregular white scratches and patches randomly across the surface. On the surface of the plate, “Beach Hill, Pride’s Xing, Beverley” has been incised. On the reverse side of the stamp, the metal surface is brown and gray, suggesting the effects of time, and has a short cylindrical knob in the center.
Macknight Room
Commentary
Isabella and her husband Jack spent traditionally spent July and August at Beach Hill, a cottage in Pride's Crossing on the North Shore of Beverly, Massachusetts that belonged to Jack's family. This address stamp is in Isabella's handwriting.