Jos. Paul Böhm (active Munich, early 20th century)
Karl Muck, about 1920
Gelatin silver print, 13.9 x 8.8 cm (5 1/2 x 3 7/16 in.)
This vertical black and white photograph depicts Karl Muck, a light skinned man, in profile facing our left. He has graying short hair, bushy eyebrows, and a few wrinkles that highlight his thin closed lips. He is wearing a white shirt, with a black and white striped bow tie and a formal jacket. Muck’s signature in black ink runs diagonally under his bow tie to the wide collar of his shirt. There are three lines of white printed text at the bottom.
Yellow Room
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner was fiercely loyal to the musicians she championed, including Boston Symphony Orchestra musical director Karl Muck (1859-1940). A Swiss citizen, Muck found himself at the center of controversy during World War I, when he initially failed to include the “Star Spangled Banner” during performances. His national loyalties were questioned in the press. Muck was arrested in March 1918 and deported with his wife one year later. Gardner was outraged and expressed her support for the Mucks at a cost to her reputation; undaunted, she maintained her friendships with them to the end of her life.