Early Life
The daughter of a wealthy merchant named Reyer, she was born at Vienna. As a child, she preferred boys' clothing and liked sports and exercise, which was encouraged by her father. She received the education usually given a boy. Her first long journey was a trip to Palestine and Egypt when she was five years old. The influence of this experience remained with her. Following the death of her father when she was nine, her mother - disapproving this unconventional upbringing - persuaded Ida to wear girls' clothing and to take up piano lessons. After Napoleon I, emperor of the French, conquered Vienna in 1809, some of the French troops were quartered in Reyer's home to Ida's dislike. During the grand review held in Schönbrunn Palace, she protested against foreign occupation by turning her back as Napoleon rode past.
On May 1, 1820, she married Dr. Pfeiffer, a lawyer in Lemberg, now Ukraine connected with the Austrian government, who was 24 years older than she and a widower with a grown-up son. Dr. Pfeiffer made enemies by exposing corrupted Austrian officials in Galicia and was forced to resign. Subsequently, he found it difficult to find a job and in order to support her family, and due to their poverty Ida gave drawing and music lessons. The financial situation of the family improved only after the death of Mme Reyer in 1831, and with this small inheritance Ida Pfeiffer was able to hire better teachers for her two sons. Dr. Pfeiffer died in 1838.
Read more about this topic: Ida Laura Pfeiffer
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