A group photo of several members of the Hessian family's household, including nanny Mary Ann Orchard in the middle and Madeleine Delacroix (b. Zanottti), seen on far left side, who later became head maid of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia. 1890.
Princess Victoria of Hesse recalled of her nanny:
I would like to say that our nurse Miss Orchard, called "Orchie" who came to us in 1865 always remained with my sister [p.33] Alix and accompanied her to Russia, only leaving her in 1905, when the weakness of age overtook her. Orchie's birthday was always a great fete. Several days before it she stirred her own birthday cake after an English recipe, at which performance we always managed to be present, and on the day Orchie gave a big tea, to which we were all invited.
(Mary Ann had returned to England and particularly Dorset at various times over the years. She was staying with her nephew Henry when she died in Essex on 8 August 1906 aged 76. Mary Ann’s will, in which she stated she was a Nurse in the Household of the Empress of Russia of St Petersburg Russia, recorded her many bequests. Her two god-daughters were mentioned, as were members of her brother’s families. Mary Ann was buried in East London and a beautiful Celtic cross headstone was erected by the children she had so lovingly nursed in Hesse. Her room, Orchie’s Room, at the Alexander Palace outside of St Petersburg remained preserved until the Revolution.Lili Dehn mentions the room in her memoir). [x]
Empress Alexandra's close friend and confident said of Madeleine:
The chief maid of the Empress was Madeleine Zanotti, of English and Italian parentage, whose home before she came to Tsarskoe Selo was in England. Madeleine was a was a woman of middle age, very clever, and as usual with one in her position, inclined to be tyrannical. Madeleine had charge of all the gowns and jewels of the Empress, and as I think I have related, she was often critical of her mistress's indolent habits in regard to correspondence, etc. A second maid was Tutelberg, "Toodles," a rather slow and quiet girl from the Baltic. She and Madeleine were mortal enemies, but they agreed on one thing at least, and that was that they would not wear caps and aprons. The Empress good-naturedly acquiesced and permitted simple black gowns and ribbon bows in the hair for her chief maids. There were three under maids, all Russians, and all perfectly devoted to the Imperial Family. These girls, who wore the regulation caps and white aprons, cared for the rooms of the Empress and the children. All the maids, when the Revolution came, remained faithful to the family, and one of them, as I shall tell later, performed the dangerous service of smuggling letters in and out of Siberia. One girl, Anna Demidova, shared the fate of the family in 1918. [x]
The Imperial Staff: Madeleine Frantsevna Zanotti (Alexandra Feodorovna's Head Maid)
Madeleine Zanotti was of Italian and English parentage and she spoke English, Italian and German fluently. She came to Russia with Alexandra at the time of the Empress's marriage from England. Zanotti brought Alexandra's terrier, Eira, to Russia and she had pictures of the dog in here. Her room was separated in two parts by a wooden partition that did not reach the ceiling; one side was a sitting area and the other was her edroom. Zanotti's furniture was a mixture of Russian Empire pieces in mahogany and soft chairs covered in colorful cottons. Her windows were covered with two drapes, the inner being of dark green cloth and the outer of cotton cretonne. On the floor was spread olive-colored Axminster carpet woven with laurel branches with ribbons. Ikons were hung above Zanotti's bed. A large copper bath allowed Zanotti to bathe privately. She also had a private toliet-closet in her room.
All of the maids had writing desks and their rooms also had bronze lamps and collections of porcelain and glass. Many of these were gifts from the family. Zanotti had a big Black Forest Cuckoo-clock in her room and various other things from Germany.
Of interest in Zanotti's room was her revolving book stand which held a wide array of volumes from a German hymn book to Oscar Wilde's "De Profundis". On the walls were a large number of watercolors and oils which were selected by Zanotti according to her own taste.
When the Imperial family was exiled to Siberia Zanotti did not leave for Tobolsk immediately, but stayed in the palace to take care of the Empress's things. In November she travelled to Tobolsk with two of the Empress's maids, but they were refused entrance to the Governor's Mansion where the Imperial family was being held. From time-to-time the family was able to see Zanotti from the windows of the mansion as she walked in the street in front of the building. Zanotti and the other maids stayed in Tobolsk, but after a number of months made their way from Russia. Only one, Anna Demidova, stayed with the family until the end.
About the Empress's maids Anna Vyrubova wrote:
The chief maid of the Empress was Madeleine Zanotti, of English and Italian parentage, whose home before she came to Tsarskoe Selo was in England. Madeleine was a was a woman of middle age, very clever, and as usual with one in her position, inclined to be tyrannical. Madeleine had charge of all the gowns and jewels of the Empress, and as I think I have related, she was often critical of her mistress's indolent habits in regard to correspondence, etc. A second maid was Tutelberg, "Toodles," a rather slow and quiet girl from the Baltic. She and Madeleine were mortal enemies, but they agreed on one thing at least, and that was that they would not wear caps and aprons. The Empress good-naturedly acquiesced and permitted simple black gowns and ribbon bows in the hair for her chief maids. There were three under maids, all Russians, and all perfectly devoted to the Imperial Family. These girls, who wore the regulation caps and white aprons, cared for the rooms of the Empress and the children. All the maids, when the Revolution came, remained faithful to the family, and one of them, as I shall tell later, performed the dangerous service of smuggling letters in and out of Siberia. One girl, Anna Demidova, shared the fate of the family in 1918."
Every morning, Alexandra Feodorovna would enter the wardrobe room, where clothes for the day, laid out by the kammer-junfers (maids), awaited her. The kammer-junfers had separate access to the room - they came via an ash staircase that passed by their workroom on the mezzanine floor, where the Empress's wardrobe was stored and prepared. This staircase led to the toilet room, whose door opened into the Wardrobe. The Grand Duchesses also used the ash internal staircase - it ran from their rooms, past the mezzanine floor and the second bathroom, directly to Alexandra Feodorovna's Wardrobe. Half of the way to the children's rooms at the mezzanine floor had a low ceiling - in Soviet times, such a construction was criticized as it violated the traditional architecture of Tsarskoye Selo buildings.
The Empress selected her clothes a week in advance, based on her participation in various events, as well as personal preferences. She communicated her choices to the kammer-junfers. Then, each day, Alexandra Feodorovna received from them a brief written list of clothes planned for the following day and gave final instructions regarding her wardrobe. Sometimes the Empress was unsure what to wear and asked for several sets of clothes to be prepared to have a choice.
After taking a bath, Alexandra Feodorovna dressed herself. She changed clothes several times a day - in the morning she was dressed quite simply, and for lunch and tea she looked more formal. For dinner, the Empress emerged clothed in majestic, expensive, and luxurious evening gowns, adorned with magnificent jewels - even if she was dining alone with her husband.
After dinner, Nicholas II usually eturned to state affairs and rejoined his wife for a late evening tea, which was often served in his study. After this, Alexandra Feodorovna returned to her chambers to prepare for bed. A peignoir and night accessories awaited the Empress in the Wardrobe.
The clothes chosen by the Tsarina for the day had to appear in the wardrobe room precisely on time. The kammer-junfers were expected to prepare everything as quietly as possible. When Alexandra Feodorovna entered the room, the maids should not have been there, and the clothes had to exactly match the given instructions. A telephone was installed on the wall so that the Empress could speak with the kammer-junfers on the mezzanine floor in case something was not right or she needed an accessory.
Almost all items in the Empress's personal rooms were in some way connected to family life events: these were gifts from Nicholas II, children, close associates, servants. There were also items acquired by the imperial couple at art and craft exhibitions in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as brought from travels around Russia.
Magdalena Frantsevna and Maria Gustavovna came from Germany with Alexandra Feodorovna, spoke English with her, and despite 20 years spent in Russia, barely understood the Russian language - which further isolated them from the outside world. The work of kammer-junfers was difficult and required full dedication.
The Empress's belongings were of the highest quality, often decorated with exquisite hand embroidery and trim. It was very difficult to keep Alexandra Feodorovna's clothes in excellent condition - many of the beautiful dresses needed hand cleaning. Moreover, the humid climate had a negative effect on expensive fabrics and dense materials.
The equipment necessary to maintain Alexandra Feodorovna's wardrobe in proper condition was extremely modern. The kammer-junfers used electric irons for ironing clothes, and furs, beautiful shawls, gloves, evening dresses, and other wardrobe items were placed in huge built-in oak cabinets, protected from moisture and moths. They provided for every detail to ensure the Empress looked brilliant in her outfits at any time of the year.
The royal clothes were washed and cleaned in the laundry of the Anichkov Palace in St. Petersburg. Items were delivered there packed in large wicker baskets and special transport bags.
The clothes of the royal children were washed in electric washing machines in the imperial laundry of Tsarskoye Selo. [x]
