E  X  Q  U  I  S  I  T  E    E  X  O  T  I  C  S

Click above to view the original portrait that inspired the doll.	E  m  p  r  e  s  s K  a  i  s  e  r  i  n    -    S  i  s  s  y I  m  p  e  r  a  t  r  i  c  e    O  f    A  u  s  t  r  i  a L  i  m  i  t  e  d    E  d  i  t  i  o  n       Inspired by a 19th century portrait of Empress Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie "Sissy" Von Wittelsbach of Austria's Habsburg-Lothringen Dynasty, this regal doll is truly an impressive sight to behold. Her elegantly elaborate gown features a fitted satin bodice, decorated with sequins and beads and lavish golden braid. The back of her gown is hand sewn with tiny "faux pearl" buttons. Supporting the magnificent train is an impressive hoop skirt, lace-trimmed pantaloons, and delicate white slippers with lace accents.       Born on December 24, 1839 in Munica to Maximilian Joseph, Duke of Bavaria, and Ludovika, Royal Princess of Bavaria, "Sissy" was raised in her family home, Possenhofen Castle, on the western shore of Lake Starnberg in Germany.
While vacationing with her family at the Resort Bad Ischl in Upper Austria, her beauty caught the eye of 23-year-old Franz Joseph, then Emperor of Austria. The couple were soon married in Vienna on April 24, 1854. Later in 1867, national unrest within the Habsburg monarchy caused by the rebellious Hungarians led to the foundation of the Austro-Hungarian double-monarchy. She soon joined her husband in Budapest, where their coronation took place, granting her the dual title of Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary.       Sissy was admired for her beauty, fashion sense, rigorous exercise regimens, and passion for riding sports. An avid writer, she created vast worlds through poetry, in which she referred to herself as Titania, Shakespeare's Fairy Queen. Whilst writing, Sissy studied both ancient and modern Greek, immersing herself in Homer's Illiad and Odyssey. She would often take long walks accompanied by the day's most prominent Greek lecturers, who considered her to be one of the era's leading experts on Greek history and language. The Empress also had an intense love for travel and spent the majority of her time sailing on her imperial steamer, Miramar, and visiting countries no other sovereign had seen at the time, including Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Malta, Greece, Turkey, and Egypt. Her beauty, charm, and intelligence soon created a mystique that followed her wherever she ventured, and she was most beloved by her people.       On September 10, 1898, while walking along the promenade of Lake Geneva in Switzerland, Elisabeth was stabbed through the heart with a needle file by Luigi Lucheni, a young anarchist who was quoted as saying, "I wanted to kill a royal. It did not matter which one." Lucheni had hoped to kill a prince from the House of Orleans, but when he failed to find his intended target, he turned on Elisabeth instead. She was 60 years old.       The Empress was buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna's city centre, which for centuries served as the Imperial burial place. There are countless memorials to the beloved Empress spread throughout Austria and Germany, and she is still remembered and beloved to this day, over a century hence, admired for her beauty, free spirit, inquisitive nature, and insatiable intelligence.       - Written by Heather Lawver
Source: Wikipedia.org	1996 - 15846