Beauty Empress Elisabeth of Austria

portrait of elisabeth depicting long hair (by franz xaver winterhalter, 1864), 1 of 2 so-called intimate portraits of empress; although existence kept secret general public, emperor s favourite portrait of , kept opposite desk in private study

in addition rigorous exercise routines elisabeth practised called true beauty cult, 1 highly ascetic, solitary, , prone bizarre, eccentric, , mystic routines. daily care of abundant , extremely long hair, in time turned dark blonde of youth chestnut brunette, took @ least 3 hours. hair long , heavy complained weight of elaborate double braids , pins gave headaches. hairdresser, franziska feifalik, stage hairdresser @ wiener burgtheater. responsible of elisabeth s ornate hairstyles, accompanied on wanderings. feifalik forbidden wear rings , required wear white gloves; after hours of dressing, braiding, , pinning empress tresses, hairs fell out had presented in silver bowl reproachful empress inspection. when hair washed special essences of eggs , cognac once every 2 weeks, activities , obligations cancelled day. before son s death, tasked feifalik tweezing gray hairs away, @ end of life hair described abundant, though streaked silver threads.

elisabeth used these captive hours during grooming learn languages; spoke fluent english , french, , added modern greek hungarian studies. greek tutor, constantin christomanos, described ritual:

hairdressing takes 2 hours, said, , while hair busy, mind stays idle. afraid mind escapes through hair , onto fingers of hairdresser. hence headache afterwards. empress sat @ table moved middle of room , covered white cloth. shrouded in white, laced peignoir, hair, unfastened , reaching floor, enfolded entire body.

unlike other women of time, elisabeth used little cosmetics or perfume, wished showcase natural beauty, tested countless beauty products prepared in court pharmacy, or prepared lady-in-waiting in own apartments, preserve it. although 1 favorite, crème céleste , compounded white wax, spermaceti, sweet almond oil, , rosewater; attached far less importance creams , emollients, , experimented wide variety of facial tonics , waters, apparently expected more results. elisabeth slept without pillow on metal bedstead, better retain upright posture, either raw veal or crushed strawberries lining nightly leather facial mask. heavily massaged , slept cloths soaked in either violet- or cider-vinegar above hips preserve slim waist, , neck wrapped cloths soaked in kummerfeld-toned washing water. further preserve skin tone, took both cold shower every morning (which in later years aggravated arthritis) , olive oil bath in evening.

after age thirty-two, did not sit more portraits, , not allow photographs of taken, public image of eternal beauty not challenged. few photographs taken without knowledge show woman “graceful, slender”.