It shall be written on our graves: Love has no end. And I would add: neither has the happiness and pride to have experienced it. And I know I've been lucky. My husband Gustav Richter painted this portrait of me. He was a friend of our family when we first met, and 19 years older. And I was Cornelie Meyerbeer, the youngest daughter of the famous composer Giacomo Meyerbeer. I grew up on Pariser Platz, close to the Brandenburg Gate. My parents’ house was a regular meeting place for artists, musicians and writers. I continued with this tradition as Cornelie Richter. Our house in Bellevuestraße was a lively place during my salons. Our guests were part of Berlins’ high society: ladies from the court, painters, even the chancellor came. As a hostess, I enjoyed listening to all of them. And I brought people together. In my opinion culture is not so much a question of what you speak about but how you speak about something. My salons were a place of tolerance. And in this spirit I also raised my four sons.