bavarikon4UThe estate of Princess Therese of Bavaria (1850–1925) – Thereseana
Princess Therese of Bavaria (1850–1925), the only daughter of Prince Regent Luitpold (1821–1912), was one of the most extraordinary female personages of her time. At first, her mother Auguste Ferdinande of Austria taught her together with her brothers Leopold and Arnulf but she was not allowed to attend a grammar school or a university, since girls and women were not admitted there at that time.
Even as a child, Therese developed an extensive interest in flora and fauna as well as in diverse cultures and languages. Therese deepened these interests by self-study and acquired a broad knowledge of the natural and social sciences as an autodidact. On expeditions through Europe and North Africa, which the young woman had been carrying out since she was 21 years old, she learned on her own how to write and speak twelve languages. This pronounced scientific and ethnographic interest led her towards a lively academic activity, which is reflected in her library and in the part of her estate that the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library) has held since 1926.
Therese of Bavaria’s estate includes manuscripts of her works, including in particular descriptions of her travels, but also essays on botanical topics or on South American cultures; further biographical records of her brothers Leopold and Arnulf, as well as shorter works. The bequest also contains collections of materials and notes of Therese’s works as well as three fascicles of newspaper clippings with reviews and critiques of her works. In addition, the estate also includes the correspondences of the owner of these holdings, e.g. with publishing houses, with the Graphische Kunstanstalt Meisenbach, with Riffarth & Co. and with her brothers. Finally, the collection contains numerous photographs, printed matter and newspaper clippings.
Parts of the estate have been digitised for bavarikon and are accessible here, e.g. the manuscript of "Meine Reise in die brasilianischen Tropen" (My Journey to the Brazilian Tropics).
>> This estate belongs to the collection of estates from the holdings of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library).