I still remember. It was on 6th February in 1870, when I saw her for the first time. As long as I breathe, I will never forget that Sunday afternoon. I arrived at the palace at two o'clock. I was led into her parlour, where a maid informed me that I had to wait for a little while. Then I was left alone, and as quite a long time passed without anybody paying attention to me, I had time to have a look at all the details of the room. The walls were covered with violet silk wallpaper, and this was the colour of the curtains and drapes as well.

In the corner stood a table, small pictures on it which must have been taken of her children. Next to that stood a carved bookcase with a lot of books on it, the sight of which aroused my curiosity. Closer I ventured. The works of Sándor Petőfi, József Eötvös and Mihály Horváth were lined up next to each other - Hungarian writers. On the top of them there was The Love Fools, a novel by Mór Jókai, one of my favourite authors, I thought - and I had not read this one. Forgetting about myself and the place I was, I took the book off the shelf and started reading.

The Queen’s suite in the Royal Palace of Gödöllő © Royal Palace of Gödöllő

Soon after that I heard footsteps. I backed quickly, however, it was too late. She was standing in front of me wearing a dark blue riding dress trimmed with fur, which fitted her tall and slender figure perfectly. The way the hat was sitting on her head made her so gentle and royal. She was holding a white lace fan in her hands, which were covered by thick white gloves. I bowed deeply. I did not dare to look up. I felt my face getting redder and redder due to the shame. Puzzled I was. The novel fell out of my shaking hands. She did not say anything for half a minute then she told me quietly,

My embarrassment made me unable to speak. Slowly I lifted my head. I had already seen many paintings and photos of her. I did not find her as beautiful as in the pictures, however, there were no photos or paintings which could reflect the impression she made on me or anybody else, I guessed that moment and still believe. Since then no one has had such an impact on me. I looked at the white face flushed by horse riding. It seemed to be calm. Her dark brown eyes sparkled but I could see some profound sorrow. She smiled when she saw my startled eyes,

Royal Palace of Gödöllő © Royal Palace of Gödöllő

Erzsébet királyné (Rabending, 1866) ÖNB No.: Pf 6639 E 44/4

After the hairdresser had managed to prepare the gorgeous crown hairdo only in one and a half hour, the Queen rose from her chair majestically and the dressing process started. Rapidly we wrapped her slender body in a tight corset then dressed her into a white and silver brocade gown decorated with a traditional Hungarian apron. My privilege was to sew the little black corset on her tightly without leaving any crease on the dress. As the previous day, I was given a booklet containing the strict rules of the dressing process, I knew I had to work with the needle and thread very carefully so as to avoid touching her majestic body accidentally. However, I was required to do my best as it was well-known how proud the Queen was of her incredibly slender waist. To show off with that she had herself sewn into all her dresses including her riding gowns.

The time passed quickly. Nervously I hasted while trying to make an excellent work in order to meet the Queen's request. I had to sew without only a tiny tuck visible on the garment, which would impair the sight of her thin shape. When I was ready, she thoroughly checked the work in a long, oval-shaped wooden framed mirror and nodded with satisfaction. Then she reached for her white lace fan, which was often raised to her mouth as she was speaking in order not to reveal the only defect of her beauty, her yellowish teeth.

She was ready. She had a final look in the mirror then she slowly strode toward the stateroom. Her whole appearance was regal. It was not the wealthy elegant gown which made her be a Queen. That would not have been able to do so. She was the Queen while wearing a dark blue dress but also in the white lace gown used during the combing ceremony.

Queen Elisabeth in the Hungarian coronation gown (1867) by Emil Rabending (source)

Ida informed me that the reception was gorgeous. The thirty-three-year-old Queen was still able to catch all the eyes of Hungarian men and women, the latter not only admired but also tried to imitate her hairdo and dressing style.

I can still recall that February when I became the dresser of Queen Elisabeth in Gödöllő. Forty years have passed since then but that Sunday afternoon and the gentle, encouraging smile have been vividly in my memory ever since. Sometimes I take off Jókai’s novel, The Love Fools, and open that on the second page which reads some downward sloping lines written by Elisabeth, the beautiful and sad Queen of the Hungarians.

Notes:

The character of the Queen’s dresser is a fiction, however, the other things mentioned are facts (about her personality, her interest in Hungarian literature, her daily routine and her dressing and combing ceremony) and based on documents and bibliographies (such as the one of Brigitte Hamann and the one of Count Corti Egon Cäsar). Queen Elisabeth probably was not staying in Hungary on 6th February in 1870. However, she spent more than 2000 days in Gödöllő. This number is quite a huge one if we consider that she had a restless personality. I have not had any documents on dressers either in Gödöllő or in Vienna. Though, I tend to believe that events like mentioned above could possibly happen.

Before the Hungarian coronation, according to the data said to me by an expert, Elisabeth spent 114 days in our country. As a Hungarian Queen Consort she stayed here for 2549 days including the more than 2000 in Gödöllő (Royal Palace of Gödöllő). Conclusively, Sisi spent more than seven years in Hungary.

IN HUNGARIAN: EGY KIRÁLYNÉ PORTRÉJA