Caroline von Humboldt (1766–1829)

Caroline von Humboldt, née von Dacheröden, was born in Minden, Westphalia (now Germany), the daughter of a high government official and his aristocratic wife. She grew up in Erfurt and on her family estates. Among her childhood friends was Charlotte von Lengefeld, future wife of Friedrich Schiller. She was considered by her contemporaries to be among the most intelligent, educated, and liberated women of her era. In 1791, she married Wilhelm von Humboldt, with whom she would have eight children. They had an unconventional open marriage and were frequently separated by travel. They lived together in Paris, Rome, and Vienna for her husband's work as a diplomat, and their homes were always a gathering place for intellectuals and writers. Among her frequent visitors were Angelika Kauffmann and King Ludwig I of Bavaria. In Berlin, Caroline hosted a salon that attracted statesmen, scientists and men of letters. She maintained a voluminous correspondence with her friends Henriette Herz, Rahel Varnhagen von Ense, Caroline von Wolzogen, and leading philosophers of the day. She loved art and promoted and patronized numerous artists, especially German artists.