1816 - Princess Izabela Czartoryska

This Polish aristocrat of the Enlightenment, the wife of Prince Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski, was part of the “Familia” (“Family”) political faction, and during the time of the Four-Year Sejm was part of the Patriotic Party. History records her as a lady of easy virtue, as her lovers included King Stanisław August Poniatowski. Her talent and education, however, certainly cannot be denied; she was a writer, patroness of the arts and collector of historical memorabilia. She travelled both through Poland, and throughout Europe; during these travels she once visited Książ Castle. Today, it is difficult to deny the significance of her contribution to Polish art and culture. After our country lost its independence, she created the first Polish museum at the Temple of the Sybil in Puławy, which together with the collections that she organized in the Gothic House in Puławy, became the nucleus of the current Czartoryski museum in Kraków.  

Author of the photography: Unknown

Source of the photography: Wikimedia Commons