Discover the captivating life of Isabella Stewart Gardner, the visionary behind America’s remarkable museum. With stunning archival photos, Chasing Beauty unveils Isabella’s journey from privileged New York beginnings to the creation of her breathtaking Boston museum. Despite personal tragedy, Isabella’s pursuit of beauty led to friendships with luminaries like Henry James and John Singer Sargent, and a renowned art collection curated with passion. Written by Natalie Dykstra, this tale of beauty, resilience, and self-invention showcases Isabella’s indelible mark on American culture.

Choose your own price for non-members. Free for MTH&M and community members. REGISTER HERE.

Copies of Chasing Beauty are available for purchase through the Mark Twain Store; proceeds benefit The Mark Twain House & Museum. Books will be shipped after the event. We regret that we are NOT able to ship books outside the United States as it is cost-prohibitive to do so. _____________________________________________________________

About the Author:

Natalie Dykstra is the author of Clover Adams: A Gilded and Heartbreaking Life. Her work on Isabella Stewart Gardner has won a Public Scholars Award from the National Endowment for the Humanities and an inaugural Robert and Ina Caro Research/Travel Fellowship sponsored by the Biographers International Organization (BIO). Dykstra, emerita professor of English at Hope College in Michigan, lives with her husband in Waltham, MA.

About the Moderator:

Cynthia von Buhler is an American artist, performer, playwright and author. Hailed by the press as “multitalented and eccentric” (Boston Globe), a “rising star” (NY Arts), and “one of the top contemporary surrealists” (Art & Antiques), Cynthia von Buhler has made a name for herself as an award-winning and critically acclaimed fine artist, author, and illustrator. Her illustration work has won awards from the Society of Illustrators and has repeatedly appeared in American Illustration, Communication Arts and the Society of Illustrator annuals of the best illustration in America.

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Virtual author programs are supported by Suzanne Hopgood in the memory of former MTH&M Trustee Frank Lord.