"Children Without a Smile" from the Washington Post, May 28 1905.
REMARKABLE is the group of portraits herewith reproduced from Leslie's Monthly Magazine, of the children of the Czar. Not one bears a smile. All are sweet and innocent in expression, but melancholy has marked them for her own. The series of seven portraits of the Czar's family was taken at the Palace of Tsarskoe-Selo, just outside the capital, In the midst of the revolutionary events which seem to mark the beginning the end of the Romanoff dynasty.
English and no other language, it is said, is spoken in the Czar's family. His children are being educated strictly according to English ideas. The older ones could talk fluently in that language before the knew a word of French, or much of Russian. Even the food they eat comes from London, or is prepared by English cooks. Breakfast differs slightly from that which ordinary American families enjoy the year around. Eggs and bacon constitute a breakfast dish of which the members of the Imperial family are particularly fond.
The Czarina is a beautiful woman, looking more matronly now than she appears in the pictures usually published of her. She is tall and very fair, and apparently as unconscious of any danger to herself or to her consort as a child. The Czar, In walking, inclines his head slightly to one side; the Czarina holds her head high, overtopping her husband by several inches. Her self-possession or self-control is in marked contrast to his manner in public. She bows to left and right and smiles upon those she greets, although the smile Is clearly forced and betokens a sad heart.
The private life of this family, almost prisoners in their palaces, surrounded by servants and guards whose fidelity, in the light of past events, must always be distrusted, is not that which either Nicholas or his wife would live from choice. Both are intellectual and fond of literature, art, and music; and both have ideas of advanced Christian socialism, which would never be listened to by their advisers, and to try would precipitate the empire into anarchy. In his early years Nicholas was fond of sports and simple pleasures, He has no time or inclination for these now. His throne is one whose appalling responsibilities and sleepless dangers broke the heart of his iron father and drove several of his ancestors out of their minds.
An American laborer, with his eight hour day, leads a life of comparative indolence in comparison, with that of the Czar, who is supposed to be not only the most powerful but the richest man in the world. He maintains in the most lavish European style more than one hundred palaces, castles, and country houses, and the total army of servants maintained for these is about 80,000 people. The cost of these households is far in excess of the salary which is paid out of the government's coffers. He maintains stables with at least 5,000 horses and the total estimate of all his expenses each year is six times that of his salary, or $30,000,000. Out of all this expenditure of wealth the Czar gets little in the way of pleasure, not to speak of the constant fear of violent death. He is a great smoker of black, strong, and big Havana cigars. When the court physician protested against the great number of these which the Czar consumed, the monarch turned upon him with a pettish snarl: "Do you want to deprive me of the one solitary pleasure of my life?"
One day in the life of Emperor and his family is the same as all others. His dally duties constitute a profitless routine of heavy drudgery. The Czar rises every morning, the year round, at 6 o'clock, takes a cold bath, dresses, and is at the breakfast table at 8:30. Half an hour later he is at his desk. His habits of work resemble those of Former President Cleveland. The ministers, knowing conscientious habits of studying every document sent to him for his signature, ply him with many more than are strictly necessary in order to leave him as little time as possible for brooding over peace conferences and similar ideas, which they regard with anything but favorable eyes. One thousand documents digested and signed is an average week's work.
And in this work there is no specialization. He deals with every imaginable question: Appointments, legal problems, church rituals, the grievance of a prince, the appeal of a criminal for clemency, the increase of the army and navy, diplomatic relations with foreign countries, internal finance; all these receive an answer, 'yes" or "no," from the "Little Father,' After four hours of this work, audience is given to ministers, generals, and all who have business entitling them to see the Czar. From 11 a, m. to 1 p.m. this imperial court, is held daily. From 2 until 4 p.' m. the Czar is supposed to take rest and recreation. In these days he usually gets neither.
In earlier years of his reign, it was his custom to devote these hours to walking, cycling, shooting, skating, riding, or lawn tennis, according to the season of the year or the wishes of the Czarina, who often accompanied him. Of all outdoor pleasures the Czar loves picnicking the most, and in this he used to find with his wife much pleasure. When they were in Livadia their beautiful country home in the Crimea, surrounded by forests, the whole family greatly enjoyed these outings. The Czarina is in charge of these excursions.
She and her children go in a carriage, her husband and friends ride on horseback. At 5 o'clock p. m. the desk duties are resumed for two hours more, and at 7 o'clock any minister with particularly urgent business is given a brief audience. Dinner is served at 7 30, usually a formal affair, with a dozen or more guests.
Atter dinner, cards, preferably bridge or a Russian game called "wint," in which a fortune may be lost or won at a single sitting. Nicholas inherits from his mother, the Dowager Empress, a passion for gambling. His whole nature seems to change when at the gaming table. His nervousness disappears; he is alert, cool-headed, eager, bold, a master of strategy, and most successful. Frequently the Czar entertains his guests with music. He is a composer, but the Czarina far surpasses him in skill as a performer When the guests have gone and the Czarina has retired, Nicholas goes back to his desk and his papers, which he frequently studies until long after midnight.
"In this terrible year 1918, my parents had a hard time surviving the murder of the Imperial family. On the night of July 17th to 18th (note: the author got the date wrong by 1 day) the whole family was tortured in the basement of the Ipatievsky house in Yekaterinburg. It was the first time in my life that I saw my mother crying.: "The unfortunate ones," she said, "the unfortunate ones…" At that time she still did not know the details of the brutal murder. She recalled that she had sometimes seen these now-tormented children in St. Petersburg, smiling at passers-by, simple and friendly. It seemed that Russia's past had been destroyed! That Russia no longer existed. Even as a young child, I understood that "everything had been lost" around me."
(Possibly?) Nadejda Mikhailovna with one of her children.
This photo was not labeled, but it was listed with a bunch of other Mountbatten-related items, she looks like Nada to me, and the photographer listed on the back was based in Edinburgh, where both Nada's children were born.
(Possibly?) Nadejda Mikhailovna with one of her children.
This photo was not labeled, but it was listed with a bunch of other Mountbatten-related items, she looks like Nada to me, and the photographer listed on the back was based in Edinburgh, where both Nada's children were born.
Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians with her eldest son, Leopold.
Leopold, born 1901, was the eldest of the three children of King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth. He was followed by Charles Theodore (1903) and Marie Jose (1906) who were both named after Elisabeth's parents. Leopold shared his name with his great-uncle, Leopold II, and great-grandfather, Leopold I.
Leopold I was the uncle of Queen Victoria, so Leopold III was distantly related to Alix and OTMAA via the Saxe-Coburg line.
OTMAA's cousins Princes Waldemar and Sigismund of Prussia.
Waldemar (called "Toddy") and Sigismund ("Bobby") were the sons of Alexandra Feodorovna's sister Irene and Prince Heinrich of Prussia. They were named after Prussian uncles of theirs who died young.
Both Waldemar and the third and youngest son, Heinrich, were hemophiliacs. Heinrich died, aged 4, after falling and bumping his head, but Waldemar lived into his 50s.
King George I of the Hellenes (Greece), born William of Denmark.
Although he took the name "George" when he became King of the Hellenes, he was always known in the family as 'Willy.'
He was the husband of Olga Konstantinovna, favorite brother of Maria Feodorovna, and father of Alexandra Georgievna and Maria Georgievna.
