Lydia Escher was one of the richest women in Switzerland in the 19th century, a patron of the arts who most notably established the Gottfried Keller Foundation.

[2] Lydia Escher's youth differed substantially from those of other young women of Zürich of bourgeois origin: Lydia conducted her father's correspondence, ran the household in the Belvoir estate, and she grew into the role of the hostess and entertainer of the numerous guests of Alfred Escher, among them the Swiss poet Gottfried Keller who was also a fatherly friend.

Lydia Escher was a self-confident young woman, who read extensively, mastered several languages and gladly attended music and theatre performances.

In her letters to her childhood friend, the painter Louise Breslau, she told her to take singing and piano lessons, and Lydia was inspired by her creative genius.

Through her husband, she finally came into contact with his childhood friend Karl Stauffer-Bern, a known Swiss painter, in August 1885, and henceforth Stauffer was on occasion of his travels to Zürich a guest at the Belvoir mansion.

In October 1889 Lydia and her husband moved to Florence, but shortly after, Friedrich Emil Welti went back to Switzerland for financial reasons, and left his wife in care of Karl Stauffer.

[6] While staying there, Lydia posted the feminist (emancipatory) publication Gedanken einer Frau (literally: Thoughts of a woman) and planned to publish it.

In a state of despondency over the loss of his love, Karl Stauffer-Bern suffered a nervous breakdown, spent some time in the San Bonifazio mental hospital, and after his release, he attempted suicide by gun.

There Lydia Escher finished her last goal in life, the establishment of an Arts foundation, later named Gottfried Keller Stiftung, which she dedicated to her fatherly friend from her youth.

The recently published psychiatric report about Lydia Escher, dated 27 May 1890, showed that her internment in the clinic in Roma and the diagnosis of systematic madness was fictitious.

[7] Also from today's perspective, the arguments and conclusion of the reviewers show that they were convinced that Lydia Escher was in possession of her full mental health.

With her remaining substantial asset – Villa Belvoir and marketable securities totaling nominally 4 million Swiss Francs – Lydia Escher established the foundation's base.

[2] The Gottfried Keller foundation, as of today is based in Winterthur, and it is listed as a Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance.

Lydia Escher, as a prominent patron of the arts, was honored by the Gesellschaft zu Fraumünster association on the occasion of her 150th anniversary by a commemorative plaque, located at a spot in front of the Kunsthaus Zürich.