Sisi's New Portrait

Nineteenth century images, paintings and other reminders of Empress Elisabeth, aka Sisi, are omnipresent in Vienna: in museums, on boxes of chocolates, on postcards – all over the city. Never before has the buzz surrounding Sisi been stronger than it is right now. Her story has been told time and again. And each generation has created its own version of Vienna's tragic empress. But the basic essence has remained the same all these years: it’s all about her beauty, her clothes, depression, eating disorders, her sporting “obsessions” and her pursuit of eternal youth.

But the real woman behind her popular image – which has been over 125 years in the making – has somehow stayed in the background. The most famous portrait of the empress, created in 1865 by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, hangs in the Sisi Museum today. An icon that speaks to the whole myth surrounding Sisi, it helped spread her fame and beauty around the world. But to mark the start of Women’s History Month on March 1, the original painting, which attracts millions of people from around the world every year, was covered up – by a new portrait of Sisi that redirects the visitor’s gaze from her outer appearance to the essence of her being.

Sisi’s New Portrait shows a pared-down, minimalist poem that considers the facts about the empress that have been overshadowed by her popular image.

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Empress Elisabeth in a ball gown with diamond-studded stars in her hair, oil on canvas, Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1865 — © Bundesmobilienverwaltung/Foto: Gerald Schedy

Remember women for who they were. Not for what they looked like.

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Panel with writing in Sisi Museum — Sisi’s New Portrait will be on display at the Sisi Museum until the end of March – © Vienna Tourist Board / Paul Bauer

Panel with writing in the furniture museum — The Vienna Furniture Museum also took part in the initiative: visitors were able to see Sisi’s New Portrait, instead of the familiar replica of Winterhalter’s painting. – © Vienna Tourist Board / Paul Bauer

Foyer Hotel Imperial — The Hotel Imperial on Vienna’s magnificent Ringstrasse – documented as having been visited by Empress Elisabeth on no fewer than three occasions – will be covering up its copy of Winterhalter’s work until the end of March. – © Vienna Tourist Board / Paul Bauer

Panel with writing — “You want to see Sisi”, is the opening to the poem, “for the drama, the obsession, the supposed depression.” And it conjures up precisely the perceptions we bring to mind when we think of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. – © Vienna Tourist Board / Paul Bauer

The Vienna Furniture Museum also took part in the initiative: visitors were able to see Sisi’s New Portrait, instead of the familiar replica of Winterhalter’s painting. – © Vienna Tourist Board / Paul Bauer

The Hotel Imperial on Vienna’s magnificent Ringstrasse – documented as having been visited by Empress Elisabeth on no fewer than three occasions – will be covering up its copy of Winterhalter’s work until the end of March. – © Vienna Tourist Board / Paul Bauer

“You want to see Sisi”, is the opening to the poem, “for the drama, the obsession, the supposed depression.” And it conjures up precisely the perceptions we bring to mind when we think of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. – © Vienna Tourist Board / Paul Bauer

“But if you only see what you want to see, you’ll fail to see the real Sisi” – the poem quickly changes tone as it deconstructs our image of Sisi. – © Vienna Tourist Board / Paul Bauer

Instead, it draws attention to some of the Empresses’ defining characteristics that have been pushed into the background by the focus on her outward appearance. To take one such example, Empress Elisabeth stipulated in her will that the royalties from her diary should go to help refugees. She also made a decisive contribution to securing the autonomy of the Hungarian people. – © Vienna Tourist Board / Paul Bauer

But the campaign is not just about Sisi. A striking visual aspect of the poem helps to challenge basic perceptions of women. Words like “beauty” and “dresses” are repeated so often – and immediately catch everyone’s eye – that they completely overshadow the facts that come later. A visual statement that illustrates how often women’s physical appearance continue to eclipse their deeds and abilities to this day. – © Vienna Tourist Board / Paul Bauer