Cosimawagner1877london - A black and white photo of a woman sitting in a chair

Cosima Wagner (1837–1930) was a German composer, writer and the second wife of the famous composer Richard Wagner. She was born Francesca Gaetana Cosima Liszt in Italy, the daughter of the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt and his mistress Marie d'Agoult. Cosima first met Richard Wagner in 1853, when she was just 16 years old, and she became his lover and eventually his second wife in 1870 after his first wife died. She played an important role in promoting her husband's music and philosophy, and also helped to finance the construction of the Bayreuth Festival Theatre, a theatre designed specifically for the performance of Wagner's works. After Richard's death in 1883, Cosima continued to run the Bayreuth Festival and to promote her husband's legacy. She also wrote several memoirs and edited her husband's letters and writings. Cosima died in 1930 at the age of 92.