Archducess Augusta

Bavarian Princess Augusta of Augusta came from the Bavarian Wittelsbach House on the paternal branch and from the Habsburg-Lothringen House on the maternal branch. She was the granddaughter of Emperor Franz Joseph, wife of Archduke Joseph. She was born in Munich in 1875 and died in Regensburg in 1964.

Her activities during the Great War went beyond the usual charity of the contemporary aristocracy. As the wife of Archduke Joseph, the successful battlefield commander, she actively organized nursing of the wounded  and support for the disabled and war orphans within the Red Cross. He founded the “Gold for Iron” movement, which promoted the offering of gold jewelry to war purposes among the aristocracy. Under her patronage, the Augusta Foundation was established in 1914, raising public donations from the civilian population for war support. The Augusta Emergency Hospital was established in Kőbánya from this source. The former lung sanatorium in Nagyerdő in Debrecen is named after her.

In the series of portraits of famous personalities of the Arkanzas company, a badge was made for her as the only woman except for Queen Zita. She is depicted in the uniform of the Red Cross, referring to her activities during the Great War.