ELISABETH OF AUSTRIA: (1837-1898) Empress of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Queen Consort of Croatia and Bohemia 1854-98, spouse of Emperor Franz Joseph I. Assassinated.


A rare, attractive signed greetings card, the stiff oblong folding 12mo card (now neatly split into two halves at the central vertical fold) featuring a decorative colour floral design to the front cover and a printed caption ('Besten Gluckwunsch') in German to the inside, signed ('Elisabeth') by the Empress to the verso and with a five line greeting in her hand, in German, in full, 'May the lucky wings fulfil their mission and bring a wholehearted wish to you, from your faithful old friend'. VG


Elisabeth of Bavaria (also affectionately known as 'Sisi') was, at 44 years, the longest serving Empress-Consort of Austria and had married her husband, Franz Joseph I, at the age of sixteen. Elisabeth was ill-prepared for the formal Habsburg court life and early in her marriage she was at odds with her mother-in-law, Princess Sophie, who took over the rearing of Elisabeth's daughters. The birth of a male heir, Rudolf, improved her standing at court considerably. However, the death of Rudolf and his mistress in a murder-suicide tragedy at his hunting lodge in Mayerling in 1889 had a huge impact on Elisabeth from which she never fully recovered. She withdrew from court duties and travelled extensively, unaccompanied by her family. Unusually tall, particularly beautiful and with long, flowing hair, Elisabeth became obsessively concerned with maintaining her youthful figure and beauty, spending two or three hours each day on her coiffure. While travelling in Geneva in 1898 she was stabbed to death by an Italian anarchist.