The castle displays also aim to introduce Princess Daisy Hochberg of Pless, née Mary Theresa Olivia Cornwallis-West (1873-1943), who is mostly recognised for her peerless beauty, but who should also be remembered for the imprint her personality left upon the castle and on Silesia in general.
The exhibition displays photographs of members of the European aristocracy and the political elite of the turn of the 19th century, portraits of the English-born princess and her Silesian in-laws, as well as souvenirs supplemented with comprehensive commentaries – all these elements create a wide and multi-layered historical and cultural context of the era. This background allows us to see a much more complex portrait of the princess, who was not only a permanent presence at many European courts, but also a person who showed a vocal talent, was interested in international politics and set about raising money for charitable purposes. As the life of the princess is inexplicably connected with Pszczyna, the exhibition is also a form of an appendix to the history of the castle and the Hochberg family who lived in it.
The first part of the exhibition includes photographs from the Lafayette Collection held by London’s Victoria & Albert Museum. The photographs were taken by one of the oldest and most prestigious photographic studios in Europe – the Lafayette Studio of London, active in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. In addition to their assured artistic value, this collection of photographs also provides extremely valuable historical material. The photographs are accompanied by in-depth descriptions providing comprehensive information on the relationship between Princess Daisy and the illustrated members of her social set, presenting historical facts and illustrating them with upper-class real-life anecdotes from the turn of the 19th century.
