Empress Elisabeth, Part IV

I think early marriage. She has a look of sadness already...

Yes, you can see the small look of sadness in there.

Who did that drawing by the way?

I think artist at court. Think they want to publicize the youth & beauty of their new empress.

How old was she in that drawing? Its a nice one....

Sorry, I can't tell you about the artist, but according with the hairdo of Sissi, it must be from the 1850's. I agree that it must be of her first years of marriage, she looks very young, I think that she's less than 20 years old.

Which is why we see the Empress's face wasn't relaxed, her eyes look guarded.

They do, yes. So she must have been around 16-20 there then? I do like her hair in that drawing, it is very nice. Did she have to put her hair up at a certain age or not, just wondering?

About the time of the birth of her first daughter Sophie. She was fighting her mother-in-law to have her child near her...

....Did she have to put her hair up at a certain age or not, just wondering?

I can't assure nothing. I knew that girls had their hair up after her 16th birthday in the majority of the cases, but in the case of Sissi, at the time of her engagement she was still 15 years old and her hair is up in all her portraits as well in her first well known photograph. It's possible that she arranged in that way for the portraits.
The only images of her with her hair down are the next: 1 and 2, I saved them from a "time line" of the Empress life, so I think that they mainly come from the imagination of the illustrators  In her other two portraits of childhood -both posing with brother "Gackel"- she has her hair up... so I'm a bit confused :-? But in any case, I find a bit "unusual" that there are three portraits of Sissi after her 16th birthday with her hair down, I read in some thread here that it wasn't considered proper, of course, these weren't official portraits, but I still think that is uncommon -and nice-.

Thank you for the information! I guess it is a strong possibility she had to arrange her hair in that way for the formal portraits. I have seen one or two with her hair down after she was 16, but her hair was  up for most of the ones I have seen.

I have seen one or two with her hair down after she was 16, but her hair was  up for most of the ones I have seen.

I know three, not wishing to repeat I just add the links for not making this page heavier needlessly:
by Winterhalter, FJ's favorite one, he kept it on his office, and other. There aren't much portraits of Royal ladies in this way, so that's why I love those! Of, course, they're not official portraits or weren't made for being public...

The first two are the ones I have seen, and were rthe ones I was talking about, the third one I haven't, so thank you for that one! I especially love the 2nd one you posted, one of my personal favourites of Sissi, can see why it was FJ'S favourite one.

Beautiful hungarian print

A bit bigger and in better quality!



Click here for bigger!!!

That IS beautiful! Thank you!