Portrait of Queen Victoria, with an Autograph

Ignacy Jan Paderewski was immensely popular. Among the admirers of his talent and personal charm were many luminaries of the art world, aristocracy, politics and finance. One admirer of the Maestro’s talent was the British Queen Victoria. In her diary, the monarch made note of her first meeting with Paderewski in July 1891: “He plays wonderfully, with strong expression and deep emotion. I truly think that he equals Rubinstein. He is young, very pale, and his head is surrounded by something like a red halo.” The pianist, meanwhile, admired the queen’s natural majesty and musicality: “I was surprised at how much she knew about music. Everything she said was very accurate.”