#Olga's diary

[die-rosastrasse]

Various stars & moon details from my gouache paintings 🌙✨

[surrealistictechtales17blog]

[otmaaromanovas]

Romanov myths part three - did the Grand Duchesses go shopping?

Over the years, a prevalent belief that the Romanov Grand Duchesses, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia, did not go shopping continues to be repeated. Some historians have even suggested that the girls did not know how paying for items worked. However, primary sources from people who knew the girls, were members of their entourage, and the Grand Duchesses' own diaries, tell a different story...

"Saturday. 10 August. … We walked along the historic boulevard and the main streets, but crowds followed us everywhere, so we were able to go into only 2 shops for a minute..." "Friday. 15 November. Had lessons, after that went shopping for wool with Nastenka as usual.." From Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna’s 1913 diary [my underlining]

In this entry, Olga describes shopping Countess Anastasia 'Nastenka' Vassilievna Hendrikova, who was a young lady-in-waiting at court and a particular favourite of the Grand Duchesses, often accompanying them on trips. As described in the first entry, it appears that safety and security concerns due to crowds, rather than a lack of understanding about shops, contributed to the Grand Duchesses not being able to shop frequently. Nastenka is frequently mentioned by the Grand Duchesses in their diaries, and volunteered to join the Romanov family in their house arrest and imprisonment. She was murdered by the Bolsheviks in September 1918.

"After coffee, I went for a walk with my pupils… They really liked to go to the shops and buy everything. Anastasia Nikolaevna was especially attracted to stores, where they sold doll shoes of various sizes… Tatiana Nikolaevna did not always accompany since the doctors found her heart was weak and she went with the Empress to take baths." A Few Years Before the Catastrophe by Sofia Ivanovna Tyutcheva.

Sofia Ivanovna Tyutcheva was a maid-of-honour to Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, and in 1907 was appointed as governess to the Grand Duchesses. The Grand Duchesses referred to her as "Savanna". She was dismissed in 1912 when she voiced concerns over Grigori Efimovich Rasputin. She wrote a short memoir in 1945, and passed away in 1957.

"[The] Grand Duchesses went shopping in the morning with one of the ladies-in-waiting to the Empress. They delighted in that because they could mix with the crowd and buy things just as everyone else did, and they were so pleased if they were not recognised at once." -- Upheaval - Olga Voronova [my underlining]

Countess Olga Konstantinovna Voronova was part of the aristocratic Kleinmichel family and in 1914, married one of the Romanov's favourite officers, Pavel Alexeievich Voronov. Through these connections, Olga Konstantinovna became a friend of the Grand Duchesses, exchanging frequent letters with Olga and Tatiana in particular, before and after the Revolution. She published her memoirs in 1932. Once again, it is inferred that being recognised and subsequent security concerns stifled the Grand Duchesses' shopping sprees.

Where did the myth come from?

It appears that the myth came about due to this extract from Margaretta Eagar, an Irish nanny who cared for the children from 1898 to 1904:

Her only knowledge of shops and shopping was derived from the toy and sweet shops in Darmstadt. One day she asked me why the Americans spoke English, not American. I told her the story of the Pilgrim Fathers, and described how they built houses and shops, and so made towns. She was exceedingly interested and inquired, ' Where did they find the toys to sell in the shops ? " Six Years at the Russian Court, by Margaretta Eagar

It appears that some historians forgot that Margaretta Eagar moved on from her nanny position in 1904, when the eldest Grand Duchess was nine and the youngest was three, and perhaps did not look for sources from when the Grand Duchesses had grown up and had slightly more independence.

Over time, the myth appears to have been exaggerated and repeated until it became part of the 'folklore' surrounding the Romanov Grand Duchesses, portraying them as isolated and naïve.

Whilst it is clear that the Grand Duchesses did enjoy going shopping in their lifetimes, safety and security concerns meant they could not enjoy shopping as frequently as other teenagers may have. In the same way royals today would not be able to go to shops without being recognised, there was a chance that a crowd could gather. Similarly, Olga and Tatiana appear to have shopped more than the younger pair, Maria and Anastasia, likely due to being older in age and therefore having more independence.

Photos:

First set, left: Olga, Anastasia (hidden behind Olga), and Maria Shopping in Germany, 1910. Right: Olga and Tatiana out shopping in the Isle of Wight, 1909, accompanied by Dr. Evgeny Botkin (in the suit)

Second set, left: Tatiana and Maria shopping with Sofia Ivanovna Tyutcheva, circa 1910. Right: The Grand Duchesses and their entourage by shops, most likely taken in Germany, 1910

Sources:

Journal of a Russian Grand Duchess: Complete Annotated 1913 Diary of Olga Romanov, Eldest Daughter of the Last Tsar, translator Helen Azar, (Independently published: 2015)

A Few Years Before the Catastrophe: The Memoirs of Sofia Ivanovna Tyutcheva, translator George Hawkins, (Independently published: 2020)

Upheaval, Olga Voronova (Woronoff), (New York; London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1932) -- Free to read online here

Six Years at the Russian Court, Margaretta Eagar, (New York: Charles L. Bowman and Company, 1906) -- Free to read online here

[foreverinthepagesofhistoryy]

~ ♔ ꧁ OTMA ꧂ ♔ ~

❧ “In the darkness of the mystery which surrounds the fate of these innocent children it is with poignant emotion that I recall them as they appeared, so full of life and joy, in those distant, yet incredibly near, days before the World War and the downfall of Imperial Russia.”

❧ “Olga was perhaps the cleverest of them all, her mind being so quick to grasp ideas, so absorbent of knowledge that she learned almost without application or close study. Her chief characteristics, I should say, were a strong will and a singularly straightfor, ward habit of thought and action.”

❧ “Tatiana was almost a perfect reincarnation of her mother. Taller and slenderer than her sisters, she had the soft, refined features and the gentle, reserved manners of her English ancestry. Kindly and sympathetic of disposition, she displayed towards her younger sisters and her brother such a protecting spirit that they, in fun, nicknamed her "the governess."

❧ “Marie had splendid eyes and rose-red cheeks. She was inclined to be stout and she had rather thick lips which detracted a little from her beauty. Marie had a naturally sweet disposition and a very good mind.”

❧ “Anastasia, a sharp and clever child, was a very monkey for jokes, some of them at times almost too practical for the enjoyment of others. I remember once when the family was in their Polish estate in winter the children were amusing themselves at snowballing. The imp which sometimes seemed to possess Anastasia led her to throw a stone rolled in a snowball straight at her dearly loved sister Tatiana. The missile struck the poor girl fairly in the face with such force that she fell senseless to the ground. The grief and horror of Anastasia lasted for many days and permanently cured her of her worst propensities to practical jokes.”

- Anna Vyrubova (friend and personal confidante of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna)

[die-rosastrasse]

Favorite green pages from my gouache sketchbook 🌿🌼

[roses-of-the-romanovs]

Maria Nikolaevna, the Lefty

"Of course, it's more difficult to for Maria Nikolaevna and Anastasia Nikolaevna to write, but all the same, give them my greeting and my impatient expectation from them, a letter, especially from Maria Nikolaevna, from whom I have not received a line yet, and meanwhile I am wondering whether it is true that she forgot me and does not want to write because she is not allowed to write with her left hand, and the right one refuses to write. Yes, and please tell Maria Nikolaevna what I saw five days ago in a dream: her right hand index finger and little finger were bandaged. After all, that's what the thoughts mean. In the afternoon I puzzle in my head, why she does not write, but in my dream I see the reason I did not think about, because I know from your letters that you are all, thank God, healthy." - Petr Vasilievich Petrov to Olga Nikolaevna, 1909.

[foreverinthepagesofhistoryy]

Grand Duchesses Olga and Maria Nikolaevna of Russia 🤍

“Marie darling!..Well, good night, I kiss you and pat you on your chubby, appetising cheeks. Your sister, O Romanova” 31st October/13th November 1914

[otmaaromanovas]

Shortly before the Romanov Tercentenary celebrations in February 1913, Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna contracted typhoid, and spent much of February and March recovering.

On 21st February 1913 [O.S.] Tatiana wrote after an event in St. Petersburg that she had “a headache the entire time”. By the 24th, she had been confined to bed, and had to be carried by soldiers when the family returned to Tsarskoe Selo. From there, she was quarantined with Alexandra Tegleva, her nursemaid. Tatiana’s big sister, Olga Nikolaevna, wrote daily in her diary about Tatiana’s health, including her temperature, symptoms, and time they spent together.

A common treatment after illness was to shave the head, as hair tended to fall out following a serious illness. On 5 March [O.S], Olga wrote in her diary that she sat with Tatiana, “who had her hair cut short.“

Tatiana wore a wig until December 1913, when Alexandra wrote to her brother and sister-in-law that “Tatiana’s hair has grown nice and thick, which means she no longer needs to wear a wig.” Some have claimed that Tatiana was embarrassed about her cropped hair, but the Grand Duchesses’ photograph albums illustrate a different view, that she was comfortable removing her wig around family, friends, and officers, as shown in these photos (see the first photograph of Tatiana taking off her wig on the Standart whilst on holiday in 1913).

On 26 March 1913 [O.S.], Tatiana wrote in her diary “Could not write because got sick with Typhoid and they [doctors] forbade me to write.” By April, she had fully recovered in time for the Tercentenary.

Sources: Journal of a Russian Grand Duchess: Complete Annotated 1913 Diary of Olga Romanov - H. Azar Tatiana Romanov, Daughter of the Last Tsar: Diaries and Letters, 1913–1918 - H. Azar, N. B. A. Nicholson The Correspondence Of The Empress Alexandra Of Russia With Ernst Ludwig And Eleonore - P. H. Kleinpenning

[yellowmanula]

Wspomnienie z trasy do Fire Club Tattoo 💥 świętowaliśmy 20-lecie kariery DJskiej najwspanialszego Rafała aka 𝙍𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙕𝙀𝙍𝙊𝙨𝙞𝙭

[krasivaa]

HAPPY 128TH BIRTHDAY TO GRAND DUCHESS OLGA NIKOLAEVNA ROMANOVA OF RUSSIA!! 🧡🤍

Dear Olishka,

I WISH YOU A HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY!!! Hope you are in a better place now. I believe you are somewhere where your pure heart no longer experiences pain. We will meet someday; if it's God's will. You're forever in our hearts (you and Pavel 🤭). Here is an cute edit I made dedicated using CapCut to the first love of yours, S. (as you mentioned him in your diaries) 🤎 Send my greetings to everyone up there ;) (Anastasia we talked about it!!!)

Yours with my whole heart and soul,

Didi (and every obsessed fan 😩).

[foreverinthepagesofhistory]

OTMA + selfies

The girls seemed to love taking what we now call in the modern day, selfies! There are some photos of their parents (and uncle Misha 🤭) doing it so it seems that they learned from them!

“I took this picture in the mirror, and it was hard because my hands shook…”

— Anastasia Nikolaevna, 1913

[die-rosastrasse]

First sketchbook page of the year 💘

[roses-of-the-romanovs]

Happy birthday, Olga Nikolaevna!

Born on November 15 (November 3 by the Julian Calendar), 1895:

"A daughter sent by God, in prayer we named her Olga. When all anxiety was over, and the terrors had ceased, there was simply a blessed feeling at what had come to pass!" (Nicholas II's diary)

[wishblown]

The Great Question before us is: Are we doomed? The Great Question before us is: Will the Past release us? The Great Question before us is: Can we Change? In Time? And we all desire that Change will come.

— Tony Kushner; Angels in America

March Reads!

Closer Baby Closer by Savannah Brown — 5/5: Sav Brown you did it again <3 def my most anticipated release of the year (preordered a signed copy last year hehe) and it did not disappoint! not sure if it's better than Sweetdark but why pit them against each other??? Brown is a genius, a miracle worker, the one whose poetry I always send to my gf (ty sm for Sex poem), she truly is for the lovers, the no longer lovers, the longers, and for anyone looking up at the stars and feeling horny. will re-read this so so so many times just like Sweetdark

On Photography by Susan Sontag — 4.5/5: ‘must read’ for anyone who’s interested in photography even the least bit!!!! besides Sontag’s writing just generally being incredible, this is just such a good source on the complex history of the art and ‘non-art’ (!) of photography and what it does to both the photographers and their subjects. informative and never boring.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides — 4/5: has anything ever depicted the male gaze better fr; just a group a boys romanticising and stalking a group of sisters who’re in a desperate situation and grieving the death of their sister to the point they cannot even help them bc they’re so obsessed with the fantasy world they’ve created for these girls and themselves in their minds, just men being men </3

The Employees by Olga Ravn — 3.5/5: this one was different! not your usual scifi I suppose. I enjoyed the style of the logged interviews of the different crew members that slowly revealed the plot yet never fully and also let you see some personality and reoccurring characters even though they were anonymous. compelling story and questions asked — who’s human? what’s human? can you become human? what do you gain, what do you lose? — in a somewhat new light

Der Richter und sein Henker (The Judge and His Hangman) by Friedrich Dürrenmatt — 3.5/5: I’m a Dürrenmatt girl I have to admit :/ this one wasn’t my favourite of his (not as much depth to the story perhaps?) but still very enjoyable and a typical Dürrenmatt plot twist and character types

Angels in America by Tony Kushner — 5/5: absolutely incredible. if you haven’t read this, please please do. beautiful writing, great characters, great insight into lgbt history. looking into seeing this actually played on stage now.

[elsalouisa]

Из дневника Великой княжны Ольги Николаевны:

12 января 1914: "Александр Сербский приехал в [нрзб] русской форме. Ух какие глаза".

15 января 1914: "Около Александра Сербского стояла, он немножко дальше. Ух, ух какой".

17 января 1914: "Завтракали с Папа, Тетей, Костей и Александром С[ербским]. С ним сидела. Милый, конфузливый и красивый ужас".

19 января 1914: "Мама не знаю как. Заснула после 3 ч. Спаси ее и всех Господи и Александра С[ербского]".

25 февраля 1914: "Месяц не видела Александра С[ербского]".

21 марта 1914: "Хорошо было и видеть сестру А[лександра]".

25 марта 1914: "2 месяца не видела Александра".

4 сентября 1914: "Папа дал Александру Сербскому Георгиевский крест 4[й] ст[епени]. Очень радуюсь. Помоги Боже".

31 декабря 1914 " Папа послал Александру Георгиевский крест 3-й степени. Очень рада".

[corallapis]

Henry ‘Chips’ Channon: The Diaries (Vol. 1), 1918-38, entry for 16th January 1924

—

Wednesday 16th January

Crossed to Paris and was met at the Gare du Nord by my Paul [or Serbia]. His wife has become a vision of beauty. They seemed so happy and gay and simple and absolutely madly in love with each other. Both quite unroyal, and Paul gabbling away about his old friends. I dined with him alone — their baby is expected in August. I was sick with excitement and joy at seeing him and had to leave the restaurant, hurrying to the Champs-Élysées where I was violently sick. Oh! why am I such a creature of emotion? He drove me to the Gare de Lyon and we said another 'goodbye' — I spend my life in stations saying terrible 'goodbyes' — and soon I was en route for Geneva on my mission as assistant British delegate to the conference of the League of Nations.¹ I am under Lord Buckmaster² — will I get on with him?

—

Channon explains the purpose of the conference in the next entry.

Stanley Owen Buckmaster (1861-1934) had been raised to the peerage as 1st Baron Buckmaster in 1915, when becoming Lord Chancellor in Asquith's administration; he held the post until Asquith's fall the following year. He was advanced to a viscountcy as Viscount Buckmaster in 1933.