Sophie de Lafont

[1] Lafont was the daughter of French Huguenot wine merchant Jean Dubuisson[2] who founded the first hotel in the Russian capital of Saint Petersburg.

She married Guillaume de Lafont, a French officer in Russian service, but her marriage was unhappy, as her spouse suffered from a mental illness which several times exposed her to abuse.

She encountered Ivan Betskoy, who judged her to be suitable for the position of principal of the Smolny Institute, and recommended her as such to Catherine the Great.

Ivan Betskoy considered her kind and friendly, but also honest, intelligent, strong and with an ability to handle people and organize.

She shared the conviction of Betskoy that it was more effective for students to learn by installing admiration and confidence for their mentors rather than fear, as was the contemporary norm.