Russian inspiration

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"One charming picture of the Tsarina Elizabeth evoked my greatest admiration. Since the revolution I have often wondered where this picture is now".

The memoirs of the Crown Princess Cecilie

The portrait of the Empress Elizabeth Alexeevna by Elisabeth Louise Vigee-Lebrun lies on the floor after the bolshevik pogrom in Winter Palace.

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Princesses Alexandra and Varvara Troubetskoi. Varvara was executed on false charges, and Alexandra was tortured to death in a concentration camp.

[roses-of-the-romanovs]

Alexandra's Large Feet

"I should rather not have a long dress, yet it must not be too short, on account of my terrible feet" —Alix to her brother Ernst, 8 Feb 1891 [Darling Ernie: Letters to Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine From His Sisters, 1878–1892]

"The empress formerly used to be very good looking and graceful, though her feet were large." —Sydney Gibbes [testimony from The Last Days of the Romanovs]

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"We played in secluded corners of the large, dusty garden, its bushes all in flower. Two neat ladies, dressed all in black, would often come and watch us dig in the sand-heap. Dead crows seemed to be laid out on their plate-like black hats, claws and feathers spiking the air. They were the Empress, who had a crumpled face, and bright, kind eyes, and her lady-in-waiting, who hardly seemed to be there at all - like a shadow. Our Nannie, Miss Menzies (Miss Thompson was no longer with us), and Irina's governess, Miss Scott, stood us up, dusted us down, and subsided in deep curtsies, hastily whispering how good we had to be. Patting us on the head, the Empress gave us large lumpy sweets in tasselled paper, like small crackers. She spoke to us very kindly in an abrupt and husky voice. We were not shy at all and liked her".

Tatiana Metternich "Tatiana : five passports in a shifting Europe"

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"The Empress - Mother is perfectly charming. " Let each one of them come here to me separately for I cannot see them so far off," said she, as she sat up in her chair to receive us. She gave us her hand to kiss, and had something friendly to say to each. We were received as her dear fellow-countrymen. Before leaving she inquired which of us liked dancing, for she much liked to see cheerful people about her. She laughed and joked and seemed quite pleased".

Field-Marshal Count Moltke's letters from Russia

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"The princess has come, the glorious princess, everyone praises her very much, and indeed, there is something subtle and good about her. She said that my portrait of the late tsar is generally the best of all his portraits, I said that's because the others are too bad — she laughed, she seems to understand everything".

Valentin Serov about princess Zenaida Yusupov, 1901.

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"I met Emperor Franz Josef several times in the following years, both in Vienna and in Ischl where he went hunting. We travelled there from Gmunden, the Austrian seat of the Guelph family, and were always invited to his table. Everything was homely and simple and redolent of the modest way in which the Monarch lived. He was always very gracious to me, perhaps because J was called Sissy, and it brought him back memories of his beloved wife, the Empress Elizabeth, who had been assassinated in 1898".

The Kaiser's daughter : memoirs of H. R. H. Viktoria Luise, Duchess of Brunswick and Lüneburg, Princess of Prussia

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Slavic stare ^_^

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Princess Josephine's of Denmark confirmation looks like a pre-raphaelite painting.

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Ella to Ernie March 26 (April 7) 1890

"My darling Erny

Your little book you sent me is my delight & amuses me so reading it, much tender thanks as also for your dear letter | recieved long ago in answer to both of mine - You told me once if ever | heard of an occasion when fine but cheap stones could be got | was to write to you, well Serge saw these jewels the other day & finds the prizes remarkably reasonable for the beauty of the stones — the diamonds are yellowish but really splendid. | have a whole riviere the same colour Serge got them the other day from this man & made me a delightful surprise — the ruby earrings & bracelet the jewel[ller must have got from somebody who wished to sell their jewels as he only has diamonds — & coloured jewels are brought to him for sale, they are really very cheap in consequence & lovely in colour rubies are so frightfully expensive & always getting more & more so, you ought not to let the occasion slip by & Serge thinks he can get the man to moderate the prizes — you need not have them newly mounted as the earrings & bracelet are very pretty — of course in the drawing the stones look smaller than in reality having no colour as relief. Many kisses & much love from us both. Please answer directly.

Your loving Sister Ella"

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"I think sweet Victoria of Wales is looking very well, and dear Maudie, too, and very much "en beaute". I cannot help admiring them more than Ella or Alicky. They are more graceful and more natural, and so much more agreeable and bright. I think they are more clever too. How I wish they would marry. It does seem a shame for such nice charming girls not to have homes of their own. They would make such perfect wives and mothers".

Empress Victoria of Prussia

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"Princess Cecilie, has wide sad great grey eyes... Princess Cecilie is more royal in her manner than her three sisters, and she resembles the Duchess of Kent very markedly".

Henry "Chips" Channon. The Diaries.

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"Easter was celebrated in great state. Our very intimate friends and most of our servants came with us to the Holy Week services, as well as to the Easter midnight Mass in our private chapel. Many guests joined us at the supper which followed this Mass. Like all good Orthodox Churchmen we were supposed to have fasted for seven weeks, so Easter night's supper was always a gargantuan feast with suckling pigs, geese, pheasants and torrents of champagne— then Easter cakes adorned with paper roses and surrounded by a ring of colored eggs. Most of us were ill the next day as a result".

Felix Yusupov "Lost splendor"

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"I often think about being an officer now, and about marriage. The latter will surprise you. What can I do! Such thoughts do come to me sometimes. You and I have already spoken about Olga Nikolaevna, Musya. The trouble is that when we were at the Tsarevich's christening, I was so delighted with her that I can't even describe it. She was like fire and wind. Her curls flattering, her eyes sparkle, well, I can't even describe it!! But the trouble is that I'm still too young for such thoughts, and then, "She" is the Tsar's daughter, and, God forbid, will they think of me that I'm doing this because of some kind of intrigue?"

Prince Ioann Constantinovich to his mother, Grand duchess Elisabeth Mavrikievna, September 1904.

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"Princess Frederica contributed not a little to the pleasure of the company. She was full of wit and ingenuity, and, in spite of her youth, even then revealed a very determined character. Alas ! her destiny, though brilliant, exposed her to great trials, and the crown placed on her head was woven with many thorns".

Memoirs of Countess Golovine

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"13 May, Laxenburg. Then we saw the marital bed of Emperor Rudolf II-I don't know what a marital bed is-I don't believe the stuff Zulimuli told me I guess backfisch aren't allowed to know. It's frightfully short and only open from the sides and there are windows underneath at the end. I would die if I had to sleep there but I don't feel sorry for Emperor Rudolf II for having to sleep there because I hate him because he just locked himself away in his Hradschin with his astrologers and didn't care about poor Austria. I always worry that Rudolf will be like that. That would be too sad".

Archduchess Marie-Valerie's Diary

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Crown Princess Victoria of Prussia to Queen Victoria:

"The Grand Duchess Olga was here two days. She was very cold and uncivil to me, almost rude, when I went to see her she never asked me to sit down but sat at the table with her back turned to me, and condescended to ask me when I went away, whether I was sixteen. She is so shockingly dressed, her things so crumpled and soiled and she herself, oh so fannee and worn:, no remains of good looks, the Grand Duchess Marie must have been much prettier. Poor Grand Duchess Olga, I pity her, she looks so melancholy and sick of everything. (I don't very much wonder that she is of her own husband.) Of course I kept my reflections to myself and only tell you and Papa on paper what I think".

Queen Victoria to Crown Princess Victoria of Prussia:

"What could the Princess Royal of Wurttemberg mean by being so rude to you? You ought not to keep your feelings to yourself, for you owe it to your own position — to the country you come from, not to allow yourself to be treated with rudeness. You will remember that I said to you, you must always make a great difference between your conduct to the Queen and the Princesses of your husband’s family to whom you belong — and the Russian family who have never been considered as better or as high as our family. What moreover I cannot comprehend and think ought not to be tolerated is that people— (even your own ladies in writing to me) call the Princess Royal of Wurttemberg the Grand Duchess Olga — and you Princess Frederick William. She is the second daughter of the Emperor of Russia, married to the son and Heir-Prince of Wurttemberg consequently less in rank than her husband 5 you are the eldest daughter of the Queen of England, with a title and rights of your own, fifth in succession and married to a nephew of the King, therefore decidedly higher in rank than your husband 5 yet you — they call Princess Frederick William and make difficulties in adding even your name after the other! Now I don’t at all consider it advisable or necessary that the wife should (excepting in her own country where she has her own alloted place) take her name instead of her husband’s, but then it should be the same with all princesses. I don’t understand what that means, when I am answered that the Princess Royal of Wurttemberg always has been called Grand Duchess Olga, why the Princess Royal of Great Britain should not also always be called Princess Royal! I think this distinction is one which cannot be accepted by anyone^ our princes never admitted the Grand Dukes of Russia having precedence over them; Romanoffs are not to be compared to the houses of Brunswick, Saxony and Hohenzollern. Therefore there must be one rule for all, and one system. Moreover the Princess Royal of Wiirttemberg is always called so at Stuttgart. These are things which may appear trifles, but which the honour and dignity of one’s country do not allow to be overlooked".