The First Lady of Charity

Abstract

This study considers the charitable activities of aristocratic women in the Habsburg Monarchy in the last third of the nineteenth and in the early twentieth centuries. Based on the analysis of archival sources and contemporary periodicals, the issue is approached through a case study mapping the good works of the “First Lady of Charity” - Pauline, Princess of Metternich (1836-1921), focusing on her philanthropic activities both in the context of a large estate, as well as in an urban environment. The paper examines the range and focus of the activities undertaken, their reflection in the public sphere, and the question of how cooperation between the so-called First and Second Societies took place in the field of charity.