Thomas E. Marr and Son - Isabella Stewart Gardner and Friends on the Terrace at Red Roof, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 6 October 1910

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"This is a black and white horizontal photograph of five individuals seated in two rows on a stone wall terrace. Isabella Stewart Gardner, a light-skinned woman sits in the back row positioned in the center of the image. Mrs. Gardner is wearing a stylish, light-colored dress and waistcoat over a light polka dot blouse and a dark brimmed hat tied under her chin and a dotted veil over her face. She is slightly turned to our left toward a light-skinned man dressed in a light-colored suit and bowtie with his right arm folded over his lap. He wears dark ankle-high boots. He has short, light curly hair. 

In front of these figures on a low stone bench, from our left to right, sit three people. First from our left, is a light-skinned man holding a cap with both hands on his lap. He has a dark mustache, dark curly hair, and a downward gaze. He wears several layers of a loose-fitting robe and voluminous pants that fall to his ankles and shiny dark-colored shoes. 

To his right, there is a woman wearing a dark, full-length dress of many layers and a gauze-like, full-length cape that falls to her feet. Her arm and hand to our right are visible beneath the cape under which she holds a pair of light-colored gloves folded in her lap. On her head there is a broad-brimmed, dark hat covered by a veil that she holds tightly beneath her chin with her right hand. She has dark curly hair and appears to be looking away from the camera to our left. 

Seated next to her, on our right, is a light-skinned man dressed in a light-colored suit, striped tie, and leather shoes. He is looking directly at the camera with his arms folded and his left leg crossed over his right. He has short, light straight hair.

All five figures have serious expressions. The group is seated in the right-angle corner of a low wall structure appearing to cut through a garden with dense shrubbery and vines. Perched atop parapets behind the walls, on either side of the group, are two small sculptures of figures wearing what appears to be 18th century dress. The one on our left appears to play a cello-like instrument, while the figure on our right plays a flute. In the foreground, a stone path draws the viewer’s eye toward the seated group of men and women. The background of the photograph is largely blank.

The right bottom corner of the photo has been ripped off. Above it, there is the signature “T.E. Marr and Son.” In the lower left corner of the photo there is the number “17132”. 
"

Thomas E. Marr and Son (active Boston, 1910-1942)

Isabella Stewart Gardner, A. Piatt Andrew, Okakura Kakuzo, Caroline Sidney Sinkler, and Henry Davis Sleeper on the Terrace at Red Roof, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 6 October 1910

Gelatin silver print, 19.3 x 24.2 cm (7 5/8 x 9 1/2 in.)

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Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.