Object details
Object number
10.b.1.25
Creator(s)
Title
Letters written on board His Majesty's ship the Northumberland, and at Saint Helena; in which the conduct and conversations of Napoleon Buonaparte...are faithfully described and related
Date
1817
Medium
Printed ink on paper
Language
English
Publication Place
Boston
Description
p. sm.12mo
Dimensions
14.9 x 8.9 x 1.9 cm (5 7/8 x 3 1/2 x 3/4 in.)
Signatures, inscriptions, and markings
Signed in black ink: Sam.l. P. Gardner - [Isabella's grandfather-in-law, Samuel Pickering Gardner (1767-1843)]
Provenance
Collection of Isabella Stewart Gardner's grandfather-in-law, Samuel Pickering Gardner (1767–1843).
Probably by inheritance to Isabella Stewart Gardner's husband, John L. Gardner, Jr. (1837–1898).
By inheritance to Isabella Stewart Gardner in 1898.
Commentary
While attending finishing school in Paris during the 1850s, Isabella Stewart Gardner was captivated by French literature, culture, and history. Of particular note is her interest in the former French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. Evidence of her affinity for Napoleon are scattered throughout her museum, including her book collection. This particular book chronicles the voyage of Napoleon Bonaparte on board the HMS Northumberland to the island of St. Helena, the location of his second and final exile in 1815. But this book written by William Warden, the surgeon on board the Northumberland, was actually acquired by Isabella's grandfather-in-law, Samuel Pickering Gardner and later passed into her hands.
Bibliography
Kathleen King,"Relics of an Emperor: Napoleon Bonaparte," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 9 August 2022, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/relics-emperor-napoleon-bonaparte-gardner-museum
Gallery
Blue Room
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