I’m really sorry, but I just can’t get used to posting here! If you’d like updates from me, I’m on Instagram as lucycoatman

Does anyone know if the computers at the Austrian National Library have PowerPoint? I need to edit my presentation for a lecture I’m giving on Sunday, but don’t have PP and the slides are apparently too much for Google slides to handle/I need to be able to password protect

Look who I found… @johnpaulnewman.bsky.social

Also up for auction is this pastel portrait of Mary Vetsera. Had the chance to see it the other month at a research appointment!

If you want to own Emperor Franz Joseph’s slippers, now is your chance… dorotheum.com/de/l/9582635/

I need to get good at posting here, I’m sorry. I’m such an Instagram addict. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Came for a Vetsera related meeting, stayed for the art.

Thankfully getting back on track with everything now that I no longer feel like a zombie (thank you, Hashimoto’s diagnosis and meds!), so if I owe you something, I hope to get it to you in the next couple of weeks!

(Sorry for the double post lol, I needed to remove the image I posted from the screen test 😬)

I had a fun morning on Saturday filming my interview for an upcoming Secrets d’Histoire episode in Empress Zita at the French embassy in Vienna! It was really nice to get back into material that I haven’t had a chance to look at for a while.

Alright. Summarised all my notes to have at hand for the Zita interview tomorrow. Feeling less stressed and looking forward to it now! (But not the early wake up call…)

On a different topic - there are a couple of Mary’s poems that I want to put in my book. They’re not particularly high brow, and my German is fluent, but I don’t feel I have the artistic capability to render them well in English, and a direct translation would be weird. What would you do?

Feeling slightly overwhelmed about filming this Zita episode on Saturday 😵‍💫

April 1, 1989: Empress Zita’s funeral. She was buried on the anniversary of the death of her husband Karl (April 1, 1922), who she loved so much.

The future Emperor Karl as a child at Villa Wartholz. 📸: ÖNB

This week was scarily productive for my job, my own research & writing, teaching, preparing for filming a tv episode on Empress Zita… it’s nice to be healthy & motivated again, but I’m excited to sleep and see The Phantom of the Opera for the 40 somethingth time tomorrow… 😅

Kind of obsessed with Crown Prince Rudolf’s picnic set that was auctioned in 2008.

Where else would Mayerling experts meet but in Kaffee Monarchie?

Alright, who signed me up to receive a magazine for over 50s?

Very excited that this book is out 🗃️: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/austrian-...

Today I experienced a virtual reality boat ride where Sisi was our tour guide and we were going through the sewers of Vienna before flying into Schönbrunn (in the boat) and then flying above Vienna (still in the boat). I’m going to need some time to recover from that.

Born on this day in 1871: Marie Alexandrine Freiin von Vetsera, known as ‘Mary’. 🤍 📸: ÖNB

A big part of me was irritated that poor health + my job kept me from finishing my book on Mary Vetsera, but I read through things and wrote 5 pages tonight and think the distance did me some good. I feel motivated again and realised there actually isn’t that much left to write!

New (old) Mary Vetsera photos in my collection! 🤩

Who wore it better? Young Otto von Habsburg or King Charles?

Very excited for these Mary Vetsera cabinet photos I bought to arrive...!

Mildly demotivating where you apply for a job where you tick all of their boxes and more and don’t even get invited to an interview…

Mary Vetsera, 1888. Part of a series of photos taken on the day she met Crown Prince Rudolf. 📸: Wien Museum

It’s obviously not the film, but I’m honestly enjoying the new Netflix adaptation of The Leopard… 🤷🏻‍♀️

It seems that your friendly neighbourhood Habsburg historian will be filming for French tv again next month…!

22.2.1942 💔 “Ich grüsse alle meine Freunde! Mögen sie die Morgenröte noch sehen nach der langen Nacht! Ich, allzu Ungeduldiger, gehe ihnen voraus.”

The Mayerling episode of Secrets d’Histoire is now available to watch on YouTube!

A clip from last night’s Secrets d’Histoire… still can’t believe I got to be on this show and talk about Mary and Mayerling… to 1.7 million viewers!!! (Watch out for YouTube’s auto dubbing which you can turn off if you don’t want everyone to sound like a robot).

Tonight’s the night! The Mayerling episode of Secrets d’Histoire that I helped with and was interviewed for 2 years ago is airing at 21:05 on France3!

Big announcement! POLIN Museum is hosting a Summer School for Early Career Scholars in Jewish studies. We’ll combine seminars, workshops and field visits over a week (Jul 21-28). POLIN is offering very generous financial support. More details below. Please share! polin.pl/en/event/sum...

Crown Prince Rudolf in 1881. 📸: Wien Museum

40 something-th time (honestly no idea anymore) watching The Phantom of the Opera this afternoon. I always think it isn’t possible for Anton Zetterholm to break my heart more than the last time, but he always does…

Began my Friday with Sachertorte for breakfast…

Old article of mine free for a time 👇

Very excited that the Mayerling episode of Secrets d'Histoire is being released! 19th February, 21:05, France 3. The Mayerling incident happened 136 years ago today. www.francetvpro.fr/contenu-de-p...

On this day in 1889: Mary Vetsera and Crown Prince Rudolf make their way to Mayerling. Photo from my collection.

😵‍💫

If you're in the University Park, PA area this week, check out Marina Perruca Gracia's talk on Naples in the Spanish Empire! Marina does fantastic work on Naples and Spain at King Juan Carlos University in Madrid:

CALL for PAPERS 🙂 We are looking for colleagues interested in joining us for a conference in Rome/Vatican in late January 2026. Us is me and Jan Bernot @uniinnsbruck.bsky.social , Andreas Gottsmann #ÖHI and Stefan Heid #RIGG Here is the Link: www.hsozkult.de/event/id/eve...

This time last week I was having the most Viennese of birthday parties. 🥹

Is there one of those starter pack thingymibobs for Habsburg studies? Feel like I’m missing so many people on here…

On this day in 1889: Mary Vetsera wrote her will. 📸: ÖNB

13th January 1889 was a day so special to Mary Vetsera that she had a cigarette case engraved for Crown Prince Rudolf with the words “13th January, thanks to fate”. My birthday is also on this day, and my boyfriend got me a cigarette case with the same engraving. 🥹

How it feels logging off after teaching and closing my laptop to enjoy my extended birthday weekend.

Very plain and unnoticeable Viennese doorway.