Maria Luísa de Sousa Holstein, 3rd Duchess of Palmela (4 August 1841 – 2 September 1909) was a member of the Portuguese nobility who became known for her sculptures, which were exhibited at the Paris Salon, as well as for her charitable work, which included the establishment of soup kitchens for the poor of Lisbon.

She attended a school in France, where the daughters of the European aristocracy received a religious education taught by nuns, but also had classes in fine arts, and visits to museums, monuments and concerts.

At the age of 24, the new Duchess was in control not only of a vast fortune but also an artistic heritage consisting of the family's many properties and the numerous works of art they contained.

[3] She remained unaffected by the criticism and her work as a sculptor was finally recognized by Portugal with the award of the Order of Santiago (Portuguese: Ordem Militar de Sant'Iago da Espada) in 1909, the year of her death.

While many female painters emerged in Portugal in the second half of the 19th century, De Sousa Holstein remained the predominant Portuguese woman sculptor of the time.

The Duchess of Palmela, together with Maria Isabel de Lemos Saint-Léger, Marchioness of Rio Maior, thought of promoting an institution that would serve meals, at reasonable prices, to the most deprived sections of the population.

With the support of several other aristocratic families, banks and other donors guaranteed, the Duchess of Palmela visited Switzerland and England to see how such charitable organizations operated.

King Carlos I of Portugal often contributed food, such as animals shot during his hunts and surplus fish caught by the royal yacht Amélia IV.

The Society for the Promotion of Economic Kitchens continued after the Duchess's death and would eventually pass to the control of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, a Portuguese charity connected to the Catholic Church.