King Leopold I of the Belgians and his family

[Mari]

Was she considered a great beauty? Marie Louise? I say that because She looks very pretty but different temperaments often determine beauty! 

[KarlandZita]

I do not think that Louise Marie was considered a beauty in her day. Leopold himself  not be found her very nice. The meeting before their marriage, he was quite disappointed with her mine, wearing her hair in the fashion of the time not putting her face value was spoiled by a nose too long, the nose famous Bourbon Sicilies inherited her mother and also transmitted to her son Leopold II.

However, a malicious temperament, spontaneous and outgoing in private, she had a certain charm and each of her actions, according to the witnesses, were most gracious.

Louise Marie seems to have have this innate grace that we say more beautiful than beauty itself...

[Terence]

Thanks for your work here KarlandZita.

Could you expound perhaps, what do you mean by she had a "malicious temperament"?

If Leopold thought her nose was too long, he should have taken a good hard look at that 1814 profile of his in your earlier post!  I don't think Leopold II got it from just one parent. 

T

[KarlandZita]

Could you expound perhaps, what do you mean by she had a "malicious temperament"?

Christophe Vachaudez in his book "Jewels of queens and Princesses of Belgium" is a more accurate description of the young queen :

"Louise, although extremely shy, showed an outline urbanity, united, without coquetry, the grace to spirit and affability to the elegance. Extroverted and spontaneous privately Louise is less in public even if, as an observer merciless, she enjoys an mischievous  eye out for this Belgian society that produces home of loud laughter...repressed with great difficulty. Her playful and mischievous nature don't have connection with the sad and gloomy picture which historians had decked.

In reading other books about kings and queens of the Belgians, some overlap makes it possible to think that Louise was a nature infinitely more interesting than some historians have wanted us to believe.

[KarlandZita]

Leopold Ier :



Louise with one of her children :



The children of Leopold Ier and Louise Marie, Leopold, Philippe and Charlotte :

[KarlandZita]

Mindful of the great dance costume which she had participated in the court of France in her youth, Louise, became queen, loved organize in Belgium. At that time, the dances of the court of Brussels were considered to be among the brightest in Europe.

Here she is disguised in turn in Jeanne d'Aragon, Jeanne de Constantinople, Margaret of Austria and Elisabeth of Bourbon :

[beladona]

This is a very nice set of paintings! It looks like Louise loved dressing in styles of famous historical personalities...

[Rani]

With Charlotte

[KarlandZita]

Thank you beladona.

More portraits of the queen :





This one, already posted by Yseult, but here in bigger version :

[gogm]

here are some of Louise-Marie d'Orleans (my apologies for duplications):

[KarlandZita]

Thank You Gogm, your pictures are really beautiful ! I love those of Marie Henriette who was really a queen majestic.

[KarlandZita]

Already in frail health, Louise is really touched by the death of her sister Mary of Württemberg in 1839, and more by the death of her father Louis-Philippe in August 1850.

Very sick, she died, after a long agony, 11 October 1850 at the Palace of Ostend, the hand of her husband tight in hers and her children at her bedside :





With her death, Leopold Ier, folds a little more about himself. He becomes dark, hard, melancholy and misanthropic, and remained alone with his three children :

[KarlandZita]

A special page devoted to Charlotte, the ephemeral empress of Mexico, who lost the reason for the death of her husband and loved Maximilian not yet died in 1927 at the age of 87 years.

Little Princess Charlotte by Winterhalter :



Charlotte as a young woman :



Empress of Mexico :









Her beloved husband Mawimilian :





Is this really the profile of the Empress Charlotte ? All specialists are not unanimous :

[MarieCharlotte]

One or two years ago, someone else had already posted this photo. I guess it was Agneschen who found out that it's not Charlotte, but her lady-in-waiting. I can't remember her name ... was it Pepita? Anyway, she looks a lot like Charlotte.

[KarlandZita]

King Leopold Ier in the last years of his reign :