Mme Parlaghy’s Art: She has Painted Portraits of Many European Royalties

It Happened on
November 08, 1899

The Kansas City Times, Kansas City, MO

In today’s article, we learn that Vilma Parlaghy’s teachers were Franz Lenbach,  Makart and Hans Canon.

Her first publicly exhibited canvas was a portrait of her mother, Baroness Zollendorf, at a Paris Salon in 1892 (Gold Medal).

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(From the New York Herald)

Mme. Vilma Parlaghy, who recently arrived here from Berlin, is a portraitist with the distinction of having painted many members of European royalty and nobility. She is Hungarian, the daughter of Baron and Baroness Zollern.

Among Mme. Parlaghy’s mentors were Lenbach and Makart, but she claims her best instructors were the works of Rembrandt and Hals, which she studied in Kassel, Haarlem, Amsterdam, and The Hague, as well as the famous paintings in Rome, Florence, and Paris, where she engaged in a profound study of these masterpieces.

“Mme. Parlaghy executed her portraits of the Emperor with such skill and imagination that he commissioned several more, each featuring himself in a different costume.”

Her first publicly exhibited canvas was shown at the Paris Salon, where she gained significant recognition. She was awarded both a gold medal and an election as an officer of the Academy. Following this success, she sent a piece to the Berlin Academy, which attracted so much attention that it led to a commission to paint portraits of the German Emperor and Empress.

Mme. Parlaghy executed these commissions so skillfully that the Emperor commissioned several more portraits of himself in various costumes. She went on to paint numerous other prominent figures, including Count and Countess Eulenberg, the Duke and Duchess of Oldenburg, Princess Schaumburg-Lippe, Countess Arnim-Muskau, and Field Marshal von Moltke, whom she portrayed in full uniform. This portrait was completed a year before Kossuth’s death.

She also painted a portrait of Bismarck, creating a notable likeness of him while he was in Turin. At the Austrian court, Mme. Parlaghy was equally successful, receiving a commission from Emperor Francis Joseph. Baroness Rothschild and Baroness von Rath also sat for her. Additionally, she painted the King and Queen of Württemberg, who presented her with a beautiful pearl necklace as a souvenir.

“She claims her best instructors in art were not her teachers but the Rembrandt and Hals canvases in Kassel, Haarlem, Amsterdam, and The Hague, along with the masterpieces of Rome, Florence, and Paris, which she studied with profound dedication.”

Members of both the English and Italian royal families have also sat for Mme. Parlaghy. She maintains a beautiful studio on Unter den Linden in Berlin, filled with curios and souvenirs. Mme. Parlaghy is passionately fond of horses and has a fine stable of Hungarian thoroughbreds.

Original Article

People featured in this post:


Princess Vilma Lwoff-Parlaghy

Her serene Highness - Prolific portraitist of notable Europeans and Americans


Georgy Lvov

Russian aristocrat and statesman who served as the first prime minister of democratic Russia

The Concept of Peace in Deeply Human Terms

Pope John XXIII addressed the concept of peace in deeply human terms in his 1963 encyclical, Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth). Written during the Cold War, amid intense global tension, this encyclical marked the first time a papal document was directed not only to Catholics but to “all men of good will.” John XXIII’s message emphasizes peace as an achievable goal rooted in universal human values rather than solely religious doctrine.

Key Points from Pacem in Terris

  1. Dignity and Rights of the Human Person
    John XXIII affirmed that true peace begins with respect for human dignity and the recognition of fundamental human rights, including life, food, shelter, work, and freedom. He wrote that every human person deserves to live in conditions that allow them to reach their potential, thus ensuring a harmonious society.
  2. Moral Order and Common Good
    For John XXIII, peace requires a foundation in moral order and a commitment to the common good. He argued that political, social, and economic institutions must support these values, fostering an environment of mutual respect and support. Peace, in his view, isn’t merely the absence of conflict but a society where justice prevails.
  3. Dialogue and Cooperation among Nations
    The encyclical places a strong emphasis on international cooperation and diplomacy. John XXIII urged nations to transcend nationalism and work together through dialogue rather than through arms. He saw peace as a collaborative global endeavor that requires open communication, compromise, and empathy across borders.
  4. Disarmament and Arms Control
    John XXIII called for an end to the arms race and advocated for nuclear disarmament, emphasizing that peace cannot coexist with the constant threat of annihilation. He urged nations to divert resources from weaponry to social and economic development, suggesting that human flourishing and global stability go hand-in-hand.
  5. Solidarity and Subsidiarity
    He encouraged a sense of solidarity and the principle of subsidiarity, wherein social issues should be managed by the smallest, most local authority capable. This approach, he argued, could promote peace by empowering communities and fostering unity from the grassroots level to the global.
  6. Role of Individuals in Building Peace
    Finally, John XXIII highlighted the role each person plays in promoting peace. He called upon individuals to cultivate inner peace, understanding, and kindness. By practicing peace in their personal lives, people contribute to a culture of peace in society.

Memorable Excerpts

One well-known passage from Pacem in Terris is John XXIII’s statement that “peace on earth—which man throughout the ages has so longed for and sought after—can never be established, never guaranteed, except by the diligent observance of the divinely established order.” He presented this “order” as a moral framework that each individual and society should uphold, built on truth, justice, love, and freedom.

People featured in this post:


Pope John XXIII

Head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in 1963