Last Saturday, NELG's annual "road trip" was a visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston MA.  I had been there several times before, so I was not expecting an exceptional visit.  After all, this is a museum that has restricted its collection due to the will of Mrs. Gardner. 

I really appreciated our tour.  Our guide focused on a few of the paintings as well as the lace collection.  What was interesting to me was that it wasn't a one way passing of information.  Our group was able to pass information to the guide, so it was a conversation.

The last time I was there was before the new addition was added.  It was also a time when the lace collection was not displayed for some reason.  The lace is  available to see now, although it is not brightly lit for conservation reasons.  Having learned a thing or two about lace over time, it is a wonderful collection of lace.  My guess is 18th century or earlier for most of it.  Gorgeous Mechlin and Binche are there.  When you look at it, you should remember that someone spun those spider-web weight linen threads by hand, as well as that someone in a blacksmith shop produced the pins by hand.  Needless to say, we cannot reproduce them now.

So thank you Gardner Museum.  I really enjoyed the visit.