The ideal mother of the 19th century.
Zoé or Zinca Golesco (1792-1879) a symbol of the 19th century, the mother of the brothers Stefan, Nicolas, Radu and Alexandre is, probably, the most famous woman of the time. She married the boyar Dinico Golesco when she was barely 13 years old, and soon gave birth to a first child, a girl named Anne. Surely we cannot know if her liberal ideas were influenced by her husband. After the birth of her last child, Alexandre C. Golesco, the two spouses lived separately. During the reign of Alexander Ghica, Zoé Golesco was considered a beautiful, elegant woman, who attended the balls of Bucharest, being at the same time very knowledgeable in managing the family’s income: „What does Golesco, doesn’t defeat anyone”, was said in the epoch. Zinca Golescu educated her children to such an extent that they became legendary figures in the revolutionary movement of 1848, an event during which, although still very young, they had decisive implications. She encouraged her sons to believe in “the future of Romania”, helping the political struggle of the Romanian nation, and the achievement of the ideals of the revolution. Upon arrival in Romania, Prince Carol I was hosted at Golesti manor, the host and the owner of the house being Zinca Golescu. As a thank you for a special evening, the Prince sent her his first official photograph taken in Bucharest, the capital of the country, accompanied by a very elegant letter written in French.
