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Imperial Russia

@imperial-russia / imperial-russia.tumblr.com

Once upon a time there was a vast Empire stretching from the beaches of the Crimea to the deep Siberian forests. Its capital never knew the darkness of the night in summer, its countryside flourished with myths and folk legends.... It was a country of great men and of small, a land where beauty and suffering lived side by side. A world swept away, imprisoned forever in books and pictures.
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romanovdays
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mashkaromanova

Nicholas II’s letter to Maria Nikolaevna, 13th/26th June 1916

“My dear Maria,
I congratulate you on your birthday and wish you everything that is bright and good. I regret to be away. I thank you for the letters, reading them I often laughed at your stories. I am also grateful for the photographs of which I now have so many. The old album is full, will need to order a new one soon - but [there is] never enough time to paste them. I am happy that Vikt. Erast. already arrived at your infirmary. Tell Shvybzik that I share her joy in seeing him and following him if she deigns him with it.
Recently I read in a command that three officers in your Kazansky regiment recieved St George’s crosses for past heroism and a few others got Georg. Weapons. This is good. For ten days the weather has been nasty, cold and constant rain. Finally today it is clear and warm and we will start eating in the tent again. Alexei, Nargorny and Muravnukin are on the giant steps or we play sort of a hide-and-seek [game]. Well it is time to end. I embrace you tightly, my sweet Maria, and your sisters too. May Christ be with you +.
Your Papa”

Her reply (14th/27th June):

“I don’t know how to thank you, my precious Papa for your dear letter. Unfortunately I cannot write a lot to you as I am very busy. In the morning we went to the infirmary and dragged all the wounded over to the new infirmary. We had breakfast just now and now we all must go to the consecration of the new infirmary. It is rather cozy. I kiss you and Alexei affectionately. May God keep you. Your Kazanetz.”
#documents#Nicholas II.#Maria Nikolaevna
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adini-nikolaevna

“In the evening I was taken to venerate the body of the deceased. This was the first deceased woman I had ever seen . She was remarkably beautiful; lay on her deathbed like a statue carved from white marble; beside her lay her newborn child, whom, it seems, she did not even carry to term, and he lived only for a few hours. The room was in twilight, everything was quiet and sad; Only the voice of the deacon could be heard, quiet and sad, chanting the Gospel.”

- Maria Fredericks, a mourner who viewed Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna of Russia as she lay in state at the Peter and Paul Fortress.

The painting is called “A Farewell to Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna,” and the artist is Carl von Steuben.

From: https://vk.com/wall-223683431_363

#nobility#Alexandra Nikolaevna
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They Did Not Expect Him by Ilya Repin was painted between 1883 and 1888. It depicts the return of a political prisoner from exile and his family's reaction. The image on top is the first version, which was later altered several times to become the final version at the bottom.

#Russia#art#Ilya Repin
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disease

“RUSSIAN SILVER TUMBLER CUPS” MOSCOW | circa 1752/1757

[1] Chased with two rows of heart motifs on snakeskin ground above fluted lower section, gilt interior. [2] Chased with six rows of heart motifs on snakeskin ground, gilt interior tumbler. — 3″ diameter // 5 oz.

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ohsoromanov

The First Years of The Russian Imperial Heirs (from the 'Becoming a Romanov' exhibition).

This section was dedicated to the nannies and wet nurses of the Romanovs, including those who took care of OTMA.

In Russian noble families, mothers did not typically breastfeed their children and they did not participate in their education or upbringing very actively - there was a dedicated staff for this end.

However, the young Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia decided in advance that she would breastfeed all her children herself, a controversial decision at the time. You can read more about it here.

That isn't to say that the imperial children did not have wet nurses. In fact, Tsarevich Alexei had as many as four nurses, although only one seems to have formed a closer bond with the imperial family as evidenced by the fact that she appears in several photographs with Alexei (and I believe I've seen quite a few with OTMA as well). Sadly, I haven't been able to find her name.

It must be said that finding a wet nurse for Alexei wasn't an easy feat, even for the imperial family, as he was born during the Russian-Japanese war. It is reported that midwife Sofia Sergeevna Zashchegrinskaya was tasked with finding a suitable wet nurse for the Tsarevich and had to travel across 108 villages in the Tver province from where she selected four women. After a series of tests, only two were deemed suitable.

All the nurses were generously rewarded for their work. In addition to a handsome salary, they received valuable gifts, had extra holidays, their husbands were exempt from military duty, and their children could study wherever they wanted, at the expense of the Emperor.

The wet nurses also had a "household" wardrobe - a sundress and a kokoshnik. At the end of their service, wet nurses were awarded a lifetime pension and given a generous "dowry", which included clothes and household necessities.

Super interesting article in Russian for more details (x).

#I WANNA GOOOOOO
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