Portrait of Amalie Beer

The daughter of the wealthiest Jew (Liepmann Meyer Wulff) in Berlin at the turn of the century and married to a wealthy sugar refiner (Jacob Herz Beer), Amalie (Malka) Beer (1767–1854) was a philanthropist and preeminent salonnière known for hosting Berlin’s foremost musicians and intellectuals. She held reformed Jewish prayer services in her home on Sabbaths and holidays, attracting many to the dignified manner and elegant setting of the prayers. Beer was also the mother of four children, including the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jacob Mayer Beer; 1791–1864), the astronomer Wilhelm Beer (1797–1850), and the writer and poet Michael Beer (1800–1833).