James Notman (Glasgow, 1849-1932, Nova Scotia)
Isabella Stewart Gardner Dancing with Randolph Appleton in the Music Room at 152 Beacon Street, 28 June 1891
Hand-colored albumen print on card, 23 x 28.1 cm (9 1/16 x 11 1/16 in.)
This hand-colored print depicts an interior scene. At the center of the image is a couple, identified as Isabella Steward Gardner and Randolph Appleton, seen in profile facing each other in a dancing pose with their right hands clasped sbove their heads. It shows a light-skinned Mrs. Gardner to our left dressed in an off-white ball gown with a small train. Her light brown hair is in an up-do, and she has jewels in her hair. She faces Randolph Appleton, a fair-skinned male who is dressed in black satin breeches, dark stockings and shoes with a shiny square buckle. He wears a white shirt under an open red jacket that has gold lapels. His reddish-brown hair is closely cropped. To our left is a table covered by a fancy tablecloth, a settee and several wooden chairs. On the wall behind Mrs. Gardner is a large mirror that has a horizontal tapestry above it. In the background there is what appears to be a white marble relief over a doorway, an ornate gold floor lamp, and palms and ferns in front of a large window. To our right are several wooden chairs and an upholstered armchair. The walls are papered in a gold brocade pattern and the floor is a light wood color. This print is signed in watercolor in the lower left: “Jas Notman/1891”.
Vatichino
Commentary
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.