After the failure of the Liberation War, Lajos Kossuth (1804–1894) until his death lived and represented the issue of Hungarian liberty in exile. After the early death of his wife and daughters he settled down in Italy, Torino. Although he lived in privacy, he played a definitive role in political life both in Hungary and abroad. While arranging the library of the Jósa András Museum a letter was found through which we get insight into the family life of Lajos Kossuth. It also helps us to get a better understanding of the old politician. The document was written in 1886. He sent the letter to his son Ferenc, who worked in Italy as an enginer and was found of painting as an amateur in his leasure time. The main topic of his letter was Kossuth’s portrait painted a year earlier, in 1885 by Vilma Parlaghy and its comparison with his son’s painting depicting his father, made in 1886. Kossuth
was proud of his son’s artistic talent and felt sorry that he had not recognised this earlier, in which case Ferenc’s life could have taken another direction.
Mohácsi Endre
Lajos Kossuth’s letter in the Jósa András Museum
2013 őszén a múzeum szakkönyvtárának rendezésekor egy papírmappából érdekes dokumentum került elő. Már a levél első sora figyelemfelkeltő: Turin, május 16. 1886. A levél tartalma és a végén aláírásként szereplő szignó, „K” megerősíti azt a dátum láttán előbukkanó feltételezést, hogy a levél írója az emigrációban élő Kossuth Lajos.
