Re: The Empress Alexandra Fights Back #3

[LA SAISON D'HIVER 1914 ST. PETERSBURG]

LA SAISON D'HIVER 1914  ST. PETERSBURG

•   Countess Kleinmichel’s  Fancy Dress Ball Carnival Week, February 7, 1914 St. Petersburg continued  


   
Group photo of Persian Quadrille some of whom are attired in Bakst designs,  Countess Kleinmichel’s Fancy-Dress Ball, Carnival Week, 1914  St. Petersburg


Grand Duke Boris in Persian Attire and Grand Duchess Victoria Melita wearing “Lampshade Gown,” and Turban, Persian Quadrille, Fancy Dress Ball , Carnival Week, 1914, St. Petersburg


Fancy-Dress Costume, Paul Poiret, Paris, 1911 © Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC


[Bodice detail], Fancy-Dress Costume, Paul Poiret, Paris, 1911 © Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC


Poiret’s biographer, Palmer White, explains how Leon Bakst’s costume designs for the Ballets Russes supported Poiret’s fashion innovations:

Since the turn of the century a craze for orientalia had been raging in Paris, and the climax came with the arrival of the Ballets Russes in 1909...It is impossible to describe the effect they had on Parisian audiences, on whom such ballets as Schéhérazade exploded like a sunburst.  The riots provoked by Debussy’s L’ Après-midi d’ un Faune with Nijinsky and Stravinsky’s Sacred u Printemps became legendary.  It must also be said that the turbans designed by Bakst to accompany the costumes of the dancers in certain of the Ballets Russes did much to reinforce the vogue launched by Poiret.  [Ref: Palmer White, Poiret, (1973), p. 83]


Cora Laparcerie in Poiret costume for Le Minaret 1913, Paris


Leon Bakst’s myrtle green and cobalt blue set design for Scheherazade

Even the notorious World War One Spy, Mata Hari, was dressed by Poiret when she appeared in the French production of Le Minaret, in 1913.  It is again significant that the young Russian designer and fashion illustrator, Erté, was working at the time for Poiret.  



Mata Hari in décolleté evening gown, Paris 1914


Erté fashion sketch of Poiret’s costume for Mata Hari in Le Minaret, 1913, Paris  


By 1914 Bakst had become as popular as Poiret for his inspiring and imaginative Fancy Dress costume designs.  However, like all creative geniuses, Bakst often worked before material, that is, some of his ideas were in advance of the materials needed to execute his inspiration.  We are told of a costume that was possibly created for Countess Kleinmichel’s Ball that Bakst had designed but that created a less than desirable effect:

The mystery author of Russian Court Memoirs, 1914-16, remembered:

...an incident which occurred recently to a very smart member of Petrograd society.  Last season [Winter 1914] she went to a fancy-dress ball in a costume designed by Mr. Bakhst the painter à la mode and the arbiter of ladies’ fashions.  No one ever understood what the costume was intended to represent; it was a costly and amazing mixture of myrtle-green and cobalt blue.  The lady had the shape of a turnip, pointed at the top and getting very wide at the hem of the short skirt, for under which peeped two daintily shot feet, the legs being clothed in silk bladder-shaped trousers.  A blue wig, green gloves and costly gems completed the costume.  Green roses were painted by M. Bakhst on the higher part of the lady’s arms, but truth compels one to add that the heat of the ballroom sadly affected this over-modern art production, the paint melted on the warm skin and trickled down in ugly green streaks.  [Ref: anonymous, Russian Court Memoirs, 1914-16, (1917), p. 263]



Fancy Dress Pagoda Costume, Costumes Parisiennes, 1914


Leon Bakst is described above as not only a costume and set designer but also as an “arbiter of ladies’ fashions.”  We can certainly see this was no exaggeration of his talents as the gown he designed for the American Vanderbilt heiress, Gertrude Payne Whitney is certainly proof of his cutting edge fashion sense and again proves his influence on fashions had become international by 1914.      



Baron De Meyer photograph of Ballets Russes Dancer in Bakst Costume for Afternoon of a Faun, 1912  © re-photographed by Richard Benson for Eakins Press Foundation


Gertrude Payne Whitney in Bakst gown, Baron De Meyer photograph for Vogue Feb. 1, 1914


Gertrude Payne Whitney in Bakst gown, John Singer Sargent drawing, 1914

[Fancy Dress Ball]

I am about two thirds of the way through our post and will complete it tomorrow and there will be no delays tomorrow as I have all the pictures downloaded and have completed the text.  

Just a word about the dating of the final section.  I do know that the Crown Prince and Princess of Roumania and their son visited St. Petersburg in February of 1914 but since I do not have the exact dates of the visit I have included it after Princess Irina's marriage to Felix Yusupov which occurred on February 9, 1914.  

Well I hope that everyone got a kick out of how chic Countess Kleinmichel’s Persian Quadrille for her Fancy Dress Ball was.  In reality the ladies in Ducky's Persian Quadrille were really wearing Persian costumes cut along the lines of the smartest French couture evening gowns of the period.  Of course there was a costume feeling to the creations but nonetheless sultan pants and "lampshade gowns" provided the basis of the designs had been at the forefront of couture design for several seasons.  The point again is how cutting edge Russia's Court Society was.  We can even see the influence on fashion of this fascination for the East in the Empress' Tercentenary Velvet Turban and Aigrette spray.



Poiret Turban with Aigrette Spray, Les choses de Paul Poiret, Georges Lepape, 1911, Paris



Empress’ Tercentenary velvet turban and Aigrette spray, Moscow 1913

Griff, Thank you. I don't know much about fashion history, but have enjoyed reading these posts!!

Just a word about the dating of the final section.  I do know that the Crown Prince and Princess of Roumania and their son visited St. Petersburg in February of 1914 but since I do not have the exact dates of the visit I have included it after Princess Irina's marriage to Felix Yusupov which occurred on February 9, 1914.  

According to his diary, the Emperor received Missy, Nando and their son Carol on 15/28 March 1914; they stayed for a week.

Agree with Helen - completely enjoy this.    Also grateful I didn't live in this time period - I'm not a fan of these fashions.  lol

About Mata Hari - I'm not sure there's convincing, solid evidence that she was guilty of the spy activities she was accused of (and executed for).    Whole 'nother topic, I know.  lol

Griff, Thank you. I don't know much about fashion history, but have enjoyed reading these posts!!

Just a word about the dating of the final section.  I do know that the Crown Prince and Princess of Roumania and their son visited St. Petersburg in February of 1914 but since I do not have the exact dates of the visit I have included it after Princess Irina's marriage to Felix Yusupov which occurred on February 9, 1914.  

According to his diary, the Emperor received Missy, Nando and their son Carol on 15/28 March 1914; they stayed for a week.

Helen I am so glad that you like the post.  I do feel a bit guilty taking all this time away from our main focus.  And thanks so much Helen for the correct dates for Queen Marie's visit.  It really makes sense since the Winter Season was so very busy I could not figure out just how that visit could have happened in February as one of my sources stated since Queen Marie does not mention Irina's marriage, or any of the major events of February.  I will change the order on my post tomorrow.  

Agree with Helen - completely enjoy this.    Also grateful I didn't live in this time period - I'm not a fan of these fashions.  lol

About Mata Hari - I'm not sure there's convincing, solid evidence that she was guilty of the spy activities she was accused of (and executed for).    Whole 'nother topic, I know.  lol

I think that you are right Historyfan about Mata Hari as I remember seeing a program on her life and I believe that they made the same point.  

I am so grateful that you are enjoying our brief sartorial review of the Winter Season.  

I just learn a great deal looking at the events of this last season; a certain feeling I can't quite put into words.  

Well I shall post the rest tomorrow and then follow that in a few days with a last quick glimpse of the Empress and girls in 1915 and 1916.  Then we shall return to the Wartime Correspondence for October 1915.

[LA SAISON D'HIVER 1914 ST. PETERSBURG]

LA SAISON D'HIVER 1914  ST. PETERSBURG

•   PRINCESS IRINA ALEXANDROVNA’S WEDDING TO PRINCE FELIX YUSUPOV, FEBRUARY 9, 1914 ANTICHKKOFF PALACE CHAPEL, ST. PETERSBURG

Another big social event during the Winter Season of 1914 was the marriage of the Tsar’s beautiful niece to Prince Felix Yusupov. 


The Grand Duchess Xenia, Garden of Ai Todor, Crimea, 1914


Princess Irina, her mother, the Grand Duchess Xenia, and her brother Vasilii, Ai Todor, Crimea, 1914 


The Czar recorded in his diary – 9 February – Tsarskoe Selo:

Alix and I went to town with the children, to the Anichkov for the wedding of Irina and Felix Yusupov.  Everything went off very well.  There were a lot of people.  Everyone filed through the winter garden past Mama and the newly-weds, to congratulate them.   [Ref: Andrei Maylunas and Sergei Mironenko, A Lifelong Passion, (1997), p. 391]

Prince Yusupov recalled:

The Grand Duchess Elisabeth was not present at our marriage.  She considered that a nun would be out of place at such a worldly ceremony...

Irina’s wedding dress was magnificent; it was of white satin embroidered in silver, with a long train.  Her face veil, which had belonged to Marie Antoinette, was held by a tiara of rock crystal and diamonds. 



Princess Irina in her wedding dress, lace veil and tiara, Anichkoff Palace Chapel, St. Petersburg, February 9, 1914

Felix continues to explain:
 
The question of what I should wear gave rise to lively discussions.  I firmly refused to appear in a tail coat in the daytime, but all the suggestions made raised a storm of protest.  Finally the uniform of the nobility—a black frock coat with collar and labels embroidered in gold, and white broadcloth trousers—was decided on...

On our wedding day, a coach drawn by four white horses brought my fiancée and her parents to Anichkoff Palace.  My own entrance was much less impressive.  The fusty old lift stopped halfway up to the chapel, and the whole Imperial family, including the Czar, had to help to liberate the wretched bridegroom.  Then, accompanied by my parents, I walked through several rooms already filled with people to the chapel where I awaited the arrival of Irina.   

The bride entered on the Czar’s arm; he led her to her place next to mine and the service began.  [Ref:  Prince Felix Youssoupoff, Lost Splendor, (1953), pp. 174-175]



Prince and Princess Yusupov, Anichkoff Palace Chapel, February 9, 1914, St. Petersburg 


The Grand Duchess Xenia recorded in her diary – 9 February, the wedding – St. Petersburg:

Our darling is gone – what joy, yet my God!  How empty the house feels (and my heart!) after all the excitement and bustle of the last days.  May the Lord only bless their happiness and life.  It’s the most important – the rest in nothing.

She did not come with us to early service, she overslept as she could not get to sleep last night – she was crying, the poor thing!  We lunched alone.  It took a long time to get her ready.  A lot of people gathered to see her – all the old spinsters.  We blessed her in our bedroom and set out.  They gave us a state coach.  Everyone was already waiting.  Mama and Nicky were her sponsors.  We passed down the hall.  Vasia walked in front with an icon (what a dear!), Nicky led Irina, I walked behind him with Mama, who was led by Sandro.

We mounted the church steps.  Mama and Alix went up and joined them at the top.  What I went through, what an effort I had to make to conduct myself properly.  I was glad when it was all over.  They both looked so lovely, so young, happy and she – so lovely in the little diadem which he had given her, and my veil.  Nicky said he had never seen her so beautiful!  Then there was a reception in the winter garden.  Mama stood near the entrance to the hall, the young couple a little further on, and we – next to them.  Champagne was served the whole time.  It took about an hour.  A mass, mass of people.  Many strangers.



Winter Garden, Anitchkov Palace, © Princess Katya Galitzine, St Petersburg: The Hidden Interiors, (1999), p. 40-41 (detail).


Xenia continues to explain that the:

...young couple were radiant, it’s the only thing that kept me going.

Towards six o’clock we left.  Irina and Felix passed by to see his parents.  We went home, to welcome them with bread and salt!  They were photographed again in the hall.

After changing we had tea – for the last time all together, and at seven o’clock we went to accompany them to the station.  All the children, the Yusupovs, their friends, all of us.  We went into the carriage and said goodbye there.  They continued to look radiant, but my soul was dark as night.  May God grant them a safe arrival [Paris / Egypt / Palestine / Italy / London / Germany where they became stranded in Berlin along with the Empress Dowager after Germany’s Declaration of War on Russia], and every good thing ... my God.  What emptiness in the house.  Dinner went off in silence, everyone kept wiping tears and sniffling.  It’s painful to realize she’s never coming back to our house again.  Terrible!  [Ref: Andrei Maylunas and Sergei Mironenko, A Lifelong Passion, (1997), pp. 390-391]
     
While it is hard to determine what the Grand Duke Alexander was feeling about his daughter’s wedding, he only allowed the topic a terse two lines in his memoir:

My daughter Irene married Prince Felix Yousoupoff in February.  The newlyweds left for a honeymoon in Italy and Egypt, making an appointment to meet us in London in June.  [Ref:  Alexander, Grand Duke of Russia, Once a Grand Duke, (1932), p. 243] 



Irina, Xenia, and the Empress Dowager, Yelagin Palace, 1915 St. Petersburg

[LA SAISON D'HIVER 1914 ST. PETERSBURG]

LA SAISON D'HIVER 1914  ST. PETERSBURG

•   ASSORTED BALLS AND ENTERTAINMENTS WINTER SEASON, ST. PETERSBURG, WINTER SEASON, 1914

Countess Nostitz recalls:

That winter was one of the most crowded I have ever known, for Gricha and I, just back from Paris, were deluged with invitations.  We entertained lavishly ourselves—gave balls for over five hundred people, had carloads of spring flowers from Nice, poulardes Nantes, truffles fro Périgord.  [Ref: Countess Nostitz, The Countess from Iowa, (1936) pp. 137-138]

Muriel Buchanan also informs us:

That last winter, before the curtain fell for ever on the world we had known, was exceptionally gay in St. Petersburg.  The bitter memory of the Japanese war was fading and people talked hopefully of a revival of the former brilliance of the Russian Court... We gave two dances at the Embassy; there were the usual balls at the German and Austrian Embassies; Countess Nostitz, Madame Serebriakoff, and the Polovtzoffs all gave dances.  [Ref: Muriel Buchanan, Ambassador’s Daughter, (1958), p. 116]


Countess Nostitz in a Dinner gown, with Tiara and chinchilla clutch, Paris, 1912


Mme. Vera Naryshkina, nee Witte.  Fortuny (?) gold stenciled velvet evening cloak with black fur collar, St. Petersburg, 1914


Fortuny evening cloak, circa 1914, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC


•   [bFOLLE JOURNÉE,  [THE LAST DAY BEFORE LENT] [/b]

The British Ambassador’s daughter tells us:

In the Orthodox Church, Lent begins on the stroke of midnight on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday and in order to make the most of every minute of that last day it was called the Folle Journée.  Very often it was spent on one of the country estates near St. Petersburg, beginning with lunch, drives through the woods in open sleighs, games on the ice hills, and a battle of snowballs, ending with a dance in the evening which stopped as soon as the cloak struck twelve.   [Ref: Muriel Buchanan, Ambassador’s Daughter, (1958), p. 99]
 

•   COUNTESS SCHOUVALOV’S  FOLLE JOURNÉE,  SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1914, ST. PETERSBURG

We are told:

Countess Schouvalov gave her last reception, which was to surpass all the rest in its magnificence.  The festival was to commence with a short French comedy, and character dances beautifully organized, followed by a ball; but the distinguishing feature of the party consisted in the honour conferred on the Countess by the Dowager Empress, who had promised to be present at the entertainment.  The Empress’s two daughters and several other members of the Imperial Family were also expected.  [Ref: anonymous, Russian Court Memoirs, 1914-16, (1917), p. 263]


•   GRAND DUCHESS VLADIMIR’S FOLLE JOURNÉE,  SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1914, ST. PETERSBURG

On the same day the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna gave a folle-journée, commencing with an early banquet, followed by dancing till the stroke of midnight.  The Tsar and his two elder daughters came over from Tsarskoe Selo, the Dowager Empress and all the members of the Imperial Family were invited as well as the richest cream of society.  This coincidence cause a great deal of heart-burning, for though Her Majesty kept her word, her august appearance and that of her two daughters (sic) [granddaughters] at the Countess Schouvalov’s reception was a belated one; moreover the Countess was thwarted in her desire to secure the presence of the Emperor and his daughters, so that many members of the smart society could not be present because the guests of the Grand Duchess dared not risk her displeasure by leaving early to go on to the Countess Schouvalov.  Consequently the party which was to have been so brilliant fell rather flat.  The Grand Duchess had her revenge.  [Ref: anonymous, Russian Court Memoirs, 1914-16, (1917), pp. 263-234]



Grand Duchess Vladimir, Court Dress, Tercentenary Celebration, St. Petersburg, 1913


•   GRAND DUCHESS OLGA’S ENTERTAINMENTS FOR THE IMPERIAL DAUGHTERS, ST. PETERSBURG, FEBRUARY-MARCH, 1914

Ian Vorres, in describing the Imperial daughter’s weekly visits to their Aunt Olga and the games and dances she provided for their amusement, recalled:

Those red-letter Sundays continued until 1914, the Grand Duchess having to come to look on them as one of her most important tasks. 

...She paused.  The crowded living room of that small cottage in Canada became very still.  She was deep in her memories, and it was quite a time before I ventured to ask:

“And what happened after that?”

“1914.” The Grand Duchess answered with an effort.  [Ref: Ian Vorres, The Last Grand Duchess, (1964), pp. 105-106]
 
Helen tells us that the Tsar noted in his diary that he took Olga & Tatiana to town to the theatre or that the girls spent the afternoon and/or evening with their Aunt Olga several times in February and once in March:
 
...2 February, 9 February [Irina’s wedding day], 12 February, 23 February, and 3 March 1914 O.S..



The Grand Duchess Olga, [Aunt Olga], 1914, Oldenburg Palace, St. Petersburg 


The Imperial Daughters, Crimea, 1914

[POST - LA SAISON D'HIVER 1914 ST. PETERSBURG]

POST -  LA SAISON D'HIVER 1914  ST. PETERSBURG

•   CROWN PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF ROUMANIA AND SON VISIT TO TSAR AND EMPRESS, TSARSKOE SELO, MARCH 15-28,

The daughter of the British Ambassador tells us that:

During the winter of 1913-1914 the engagement of the Grand Duchess Olga was frequently discussed in society, and several young men were mentioned as possible suitors.  The Grand Duke Dimitri, Prince Arthur of Connaught, the Duke of Leuchtenberg, even at one moment the Prince of Wales.  With the visit of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Roumania, accompanied by their eldest son, Prince Carol’s name was on all lips, and everyone waited anxiously for news of an engagement.  But although, with his parents, he stayed for several days at Tsarskoe, it was evident from the first that the young Grand Duchess was not attracted to him, and that there was no sympathy between them.  [Ref: Muriel Buchanan, Queen Victoria’s Relations, (1954),  p. 215]



King and Queen of Roumania, September 1916


The Empress’ Mistress of the Robes,  Mme. Narishkin-Kurakin tells us:

In the course of the following Winter [1914], Prince Carol of Roumania arrived in St. Petersburg with the intention of asking for the hand of the Grand Duchess Olga.  Sasonov, whose aim it was to divert Roumania from the Triple Alliance, considered him a fine candidate and hailed this union which fitted so well into his own plans.  In fact, he expressly insisted upon it!  As a member of the Hohenzollern family, the Roumanian Prince was on excellent terms with the German Imperial House; in addition he was a Greek Catholic, a fact which facilitated matters, and relieved the situation of what would have been an embarrassing difficulty.

When he visited me shortly after his arrival, he impressed me as a well-educated, well-bred and sympathetic young man.  I asked him, incidentally, how it happened that his father was a Catholic, while the Prussian Hohenzollerns were, without exception, Protestants.  He explained that during the Reformation, the reigning branch had accepted the new doctrine, but the other, the Roumanian line, had remained Catholic.  King Carol had not changed his faith at the time of his accession to the throne, but had agreed to bring up his descendants in the Orthodox faith.

The Grand Duchess Olga had maintained a state of cold reserve in the face of this courtship, and it seemed to me that she was far from delighted at the thought of marriage to a Roumanian Prince.  Nevertheless, it was agreed that the Tsar and his family would visit Konstanza from the Crimea the following Spring.  [Ref: Elizabeth Narishkin-Kurakin, Under Three Tsars, (1931), pp. 208-209]
 

Grand Duchess Olga, Afternoon Frock and hat, Tsarskoe Selo, 1915


Prince Carol of Roumania, Bucharest, circa 1914


Queen Marie of Roumania recalled that neither:

...Carol nor Olga showed any sort of desire towards becoming more closely acquainted and I felt rather shy about this part of our “mission,” as I understood that by the general public, who longed to see one of their grand duchesses marry a future heir to a throne, something was expected of us.

...I felt it was necessary to have a talk with Alix.  Having discussed the marriage plan with my husband, we decided that it might appear rude if we left without having made the advances politically desired, as it is generally considered proper for the young man to do the proposing.

One day, therefore, after lunch, I asked if I could see Alix alone, so she took me into her boudoir and there I very frankly told her I was at a loss to know what to do.

In all fairness towards Alix, I must say that on this occasion she did not make conversation difficult and talked very quietly, like a reasonable mother.

We agreed with each other that neither of us could make any promises in the name of our children, that they must decide for themselves.  The only thing we could do would be to create occasions when they could meet, which would certainly not be easy as our lives were lived so far apart.  Alix was a pleasant as was possible for her, but I quite realized that these “occasions” for meeting would never come about, as it did not in the least look as though our son or their daughter were attracted to each other, nor were we either of us the sort of parents who would press marriage upon our children if they felt any distaste.

Smilingly we agreed that we felt entirely incapable of influencing Fate, that, in fact, we had no idea how such things were done.  At that hour we were simply two mothers, mutually relieved that we “had had it out.”  I felt that I had done my duty, the rest was in the hands of Fate.  [Ref: Marie, Queen of Roumania, The Story of My Life, (1934), pp. 575-576]

[POST - LA SAISON D'HIVER 1914 ST. PETERSBURG]

POST -  LA SAISON D'HIVER 1914  ST. PETERSBURG

•   PARADE IN HONOR OF CROWN PRINCE FERDINAND, ST. PETERSBERG, MARCH, 1914

Queen Marie explains that:

...still being in deep mourning for my husband’s mother, we were unable to take part in any social functions thought the whole of St. Petersburg opened wide its arms to us; but there was a parade in honour of the Crown Prince of Roumania on the vast square before the Winter Palace, and once, seated behind Nicky in his box near the stage, so that I could see without being seen, I witnessed one of the celebrated Russian ballets at the court theater...



King Ferdinand of Roumania, 1914


The Queen continued to relate:

Of course, we also politely made our round of family visits, in the first place to Aunt Minnie, the Dowager Empress, with whom my mother [the Dowager Duchess of Coburg] was living, and to the smart and amiable Aunt Miechen, now a widow since Uncle Vladimir’s death a few years previously, but still keeping open house, receiving all manner of interesting people; and above all it was a delight to go to Ducky’s house, which she had arranged beautifully and which was filled with innumerable treasures, amongst others a superb collection of jade. 



Grand Duke and Duchess Kyrill, attending the “Victoria Fahrt” [Cross-country Motor Race], July 1914, Pskov

Queen Marie states:

Ducky had perfect taste and the same passion as I have for arranging her rooms in a rather unusual and uncommon way.  But she complained of the want of light and of the endlessness of the St. Petersburg winters, where the days are so cruelly short. 

Her two little girls, Marie (called Mashka) and Kira, were two splendid children, well-grown, solid, with lovely hair and perfect skin and as superlatively groomed as English ponies.  They had everything on earth of which human children could dream and were flatteringly glad to have me in their midst.   [Ref: Marie, Queen of Roumania, The Story of My Life, (1934), pp. 576-577]



Grand Duchess Kyrill in Court Dress accompanied by her daughters, Tercentenary Celebrations, St. Petersburg, 1913 


•   CROWN PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF ROMANIA, GUESTS OF GRAND DUCHESS VLADIMIR, ST. PETERSBRUG, LATE MARCH , 1914

Queen Marie recalled that:

We spent a few more pleasant days at St. Petersburg in Aunt Miechen’s hospitable house, seeing all those who had not dared approach Tsarskoye’s solitude, had not dared intrude into that mysterious centre where somewhere in the shade Rasputin held his fatal sway: I never saw Rasputin. 

And then we left and returned home.  [Ref: Marie, Queen of Roumania, The Story of My Life, (1934), p. 577]
     
I find it significant that Marie should mention Rasputin, as it indicates the Court gossip surrounding the Empress had not lessened even though the Imperial couple was distancing themselves somewhat from Rasputin at the time.       



Crown Princess Marie of Romania, circa 1912

[LA SAISON D'ÉTÉ 1914 ST. PETERSBURG]

LA SAISON D'ÉTÉ  1914  ST. PETERSBURG

Just to say that the last Summer Season before the War was as active and full of events as the Winter Season had been.  But because of time constrictions I have not been able to gather that information.  However I did want to quote de Fougquières' remarks to Countess Nostitz as they seem to express my oft repeated sentiments about the sophistication of Russia's Court Society.   

•   André de Fougquières comments to Countess Nostitz on Board the Chauncey Depew’s yacht, July, 1914, Neva embankment, St. Petersburg

“Look at all these people here...How charming they are; how nicely adjusted in their sense of values.  How they appreciate culture, art, all the refinements of life, yet never lose sight of the fact that cultivated simplicity is the highest form of perfection.  They are not insular like the English, nor bourgeois-minded like the French.  They have all the riches and luxury of American society, without any of its vulgar ostentation.  They have developed the art of living beautifully.”   [Ref: Countess Nostitz, The Countess from Iowa, (1936) p. 137]

I find the joyous and innovative spirit of these last Seasons just before the Great War to have been caught by the French artist and fashion illustrator, Georges Lepape, in his souvenir gouache drawing of the ‘1002d Night’ Persian Celebration that Lepage gave to Mme. Poiret.  In looking at Lepage’s gouache of Mme. Poiret escaping her cage during the ‘1002d Night’ Persian Celebration in her trend setting “lampshade gown,” I could not help but be reminded of Dame Edith Sitwell’s text for William Walden’s Façade, (1921). 

Mme. Poiret escaping her cage. Gouache drawing by Georges Lepage
as souvenir for Poiret’s [‘1002d Night’ Persian Celebration [/i]

Seeking for horizons
Wide; from her orisons
In her wide
Vermilion
Pavilion
By the seaside
The doors clang open and hide
Where the wind died
Nothing but the Princess
Cockatrice
Lean
Dancing a caprice
To the wind's tambourine!   

[Ref: Dame Edith Sitwell’s text from “Something Lies beyond the Scene” for William Walden’s Façade, (1921)]

Grand Duchess Vladimir’s black pearl and diamond Aigrette Spray, Cartier, 1913

 

Griffh - Amazing!

Griffh - Amazing!

Oh Alixz thanks so much for your encouraging remark. 

It seemed that I did so little as most of my efforts were spent sorting out, to the best of my ability, the information into some kind of chronology.  The other hinderance was not having full access to my books that are still stacked in boxes.  I know I am whining, my favorite pastime as we all know, but all the same I could not find Kleinmichel’s book or many other Court Memoirs so my record of events was quite incomplete. 

That makes your remark is all the more gratefully received.  I was able to find my boxes of Russian Arts and my boxes of International Society so that was a great help.  I really had not idea how closely Russian Court Society’s social modes and manners, not to mention, fashion sense, were linked to the rest of Europe.  One example was the use of trellis work that Elsie de Wolf, (Lady de Mendl) had swept the world of interior decoration when she introduced used trellis work in her redecorate the elite Colony Club in NYC in 1906. 

I knew that Elsie de Wolf’s use of trellis work swept the world of interior design for the next 10 years, however it was not until I compared the photograph of the newly decorated Colony Club with the photograph of Lord and Lady Duff Gordon sitting in the trellised garden of Elsie de Wolf’s, Villa Trianon at Versailles in 1913 and the photograph of the Grand Duchess Xenia sitting in the trellised garden of Ai Todor, in the Crimea in 1914 that I realized the presence of Elsie de Wolf’s influence. 



Elise de Wolf trellis décor for the Colony Club, NYC  © House in Good Taste 1906 


The Grand Duchess Xenia, trellised garden of Ai Todor, Crimea, 1914


Lord and Lady Duff Gordon, trellised garden of Elsie de Wolf (Lady Mendl), Villa Trianon at Versailles, 1913


I have repeated this notion of mine so often that I suppose it is boring to hear again, but it was not until I did this sartorial and social research that I realized how inseparable Russia was from contemporary social change nor how often Russia was the source and inspiration of these modern innovations.   

Again, we now know that Leon Bakst had as profound an influence on Fancy Dress and ladies fashions as Poiret and that where ever a Persian Costume Ball took place in the civilized world, costumes designed by Bakst, Poiret, or even a Lucile were sure to prevail.  Whether one was a Russian visiting Paris or New York, or an American visiting Russia or Paris, or a Parisian visiting New York or St. Petersburg in the Winter of 1914, one was bound to be invited to a Persian Ball where one was equally bound to see Bakst, Poiret or Lucile creations.  I am sure that it was equally true if one was in London, Vienna or Berlin, etc.   

The rage for the Persian Costume Ball was universal in 1914.  Grace Vanderbilt, below in her famous million-dollar diamond bodice fringe, was giving her Persian Costume Ball the same Season that Countess Kleinmichel included her Persian Quadrille as part of her Fancy Dress Ball.



Grace Vanderbilt wearing her famous diamond fringe on her satin evening gown with asymmetric crystal fringe, Newport, 1912 


Grace Vanderbilt’s children, Neil and Grace in Persian costumes for Mrs. Vanderbilt’s Persian Ball, Beaulieu, Newport Rhode Island, 1914


Grand Duke Boris in Persian Attire and Grand Duchess Victoria Melita wearing “Lampshade Gown,” and Turban, Persian Quadrille, Fancy Dress Ball , Carnival Week, 1914, St. Petersburg


Elise de Wolfe wearing Persian costume designed by Paul Poiret, 1914


Lady Duff Gordon’s famous mannequin, Phyllis wearing a Lucile Persian costume for Ziegfeld Follies , NYC 1916   


Thanks to Helen I was able to put some of the major events of the last Seasons before the Great War into their correct order which was a great help. 

You know it occurs to me that while the aristocracy was able to depart to their country estates and rest after each Season, that the Tsar and Empress social/political obligations were constant.  When I was doing some research for 1911-1912 I wanted to gain a better sense of the Imperial itinerary and was amazed by the constant demands on the Imperial couple's time, even whilst sailing about off the Finnish coast.  I think that the active schedule was a result of a return to order that the country had experienced by 1909, as that was when the Tsar and Empress were advised that they could travel in the interior of the country again and it was the same year that Stolypin and his family were allowed to leave the safety of the Winter Palace and live in the private residence provided for the Prime Minister in St. Petersburg. 

The other thing that impressed me about this later period of the reign is that while the Empress was less socially accessible than Court Society had hoped for; still her approval was highly valued by them, just as her disapproval was something they dreaded.   

Baroness de Stoeckl, who was attached to the Grand Duchess George's Court, recalled: 

Should their Majesties bestow their favour on a person, the barometer of the Court went high in his favour.  If the opposite happened, that person could count on no one.  Of course, there were exceptions, but I mean on the average.  People would criticize the Empress, but should she show herself, people would cringe only to be able to say she had looked at them...  [Ref:  Baroness de Stoeckl, Not All Vanity,, (1952), p. 134]

What you just posted regarding Baroness de Stoekl's impression of society left a bad taste in my mouth.  Not your post, Griffh - lol! - but the behaviour of Court society.  They couldn't stand her (Alexandra), made fun of her, vilified her behind her back...but when they wanted her attention, oh boy, there they were, bent over with pursed lips!  That's the vision that comes to my mind, and it just makes me think "(Insert curse word here), she was right all along!"  Alexandra really had those people pinned down, in my opinion.  And as a mother, I cannot blame her one iota for not wanting her daughters exposed to that moral-less, characterless, scruple-less crowd!  Although maybe she swung too far the other way...and perhaps I'm being too harsh...I just don't get a good impression from "society", either.

Regarding Queen Marie's statement that she and Nando, and Alix and Nicky, were not the type of parents to push Fate, to that I say "Thank God!"  heh.  I shudder to think what poor Grand Duchess Olga would have been subjected to as Carol's wife!  Lord knows Helen of Greece went through enough!  (I don't like Carol either.)

Irina was beautiful.  Grand Duchess Olga really resembled her, in my opinion.  I haven't read much about her, and her marriage to Felix, except the rumour that he was homosexual.  They had children, I believe, did they not?

["Father asks to remember that the evil which is now in the world will become yet more powerful, and that it is not evil that conquers evil, but only love"]

Irina was beautiful.  Grand Duchess Olga really resembled her, in my opinion.  I haven't read much about her, and her marriage to Felix, except the rumour that he was homosexual.  They had children, I believe, did they not?

Only one.  A daughter, Princess Irina Felixovna Yusupova.

What you just posted regarding Baroness de Stoekl's impression of society left a bad taste in my mouth.  Not your post, Griffh - lol! - but the behaviour of Court society.  They couldn't stand her (Alexandra), made fun of her, vilified her behind her back...but when they wanted her attention, oh boy, there they were, bent over with pursed lips!  That's the vision that comes to my mind, and it just makes me think "(Insert curse word here), she was right all along!"  Alexandra really had those people pinned down, in my opinion.  And as a mother, I cannot blame her one iota for not wanting her daughters exposed to that moral-less, characterless, scruple-less crowd!  Although maybe she swung too far the other way...and perhaps I'm being too harsh...I just don't get a good impression from "society", either.

Regarding Queen Marie's statement that she and Nando, and Alix and Nicky, were not the type of parents to push Fate, to that I say "Thank God!"  heh.  I shudder to think what poor Grand Duchess Olga would have been subjected to as Carol's wife!  Lord knows Helen of Greece went through enough!  (I don't like Carol either.)

Irina was beautiful.  Grand Duchess Olga really resembled her, in my opinion.  I haven't read much about her, and her marriage to Felix, except the rumour that he was homosexual.  They had children, I believe, did they not?

Historyfan I completely agree with your observations.  The Empress had a genuine character and one of the things that made her so uncomfortable in social settings was the bigotry and hypocritical flattery that surrounded her and that she saw through.  She was not comfortable in superficial settings nor was she comfortable with a lack of sincerity.  It was not just a question of the Empress being shy.  

While Court society would play a terrible role in spreading rumours about the Empress, I still wanted to restore a proper sense of their level of sophistication and elegance.  I know that this may sound superficial on my part, but I still find it important to give Russia the place it deserved and that has been lost sight of.  Also, I can't help but feel those individuals in Court Society that played such a terrible role, could not protect itself against the negative influences cause by the massive loss of life [it is estimated that 240 men lost their lives every hour during the Great War, and even more in Russia as the exact number of War casualties has never really been determined], or the Spy Hysteria that gripped Russia during the War.  The effects of mass depression and paranoia played such a great part in the destruction of the Romanov rule, at least that is the way it appears to me.  I suppose that may appear simplistic but given the horrors and deprivations I just wanted to restore a sense of the joy and modern sense of Russia before the War.  

It is so sad to me that such a outstanding nation has had to suffer such loss of respect and honor which they are due.  It is a crime that Russia was never given the recognition it deserved for its bravery and steadfast fighting spirit during the Great War.  In some sense modern historians, such as Hew Stratham, are restoring a balanced point of view about the accomplishments of the Russian Army during WWI.      

Irina was beautiful.  Grand Duchess Olga really resembled her, in my opinion.  I haven't read much about her, and her marriage to Felix, except the rumour that he was homosexual.  They had children, I believe, did they not?

Only one.  A daughter, Princess Irina Felixovna Yusupova.

Thanks Grand Duchess Ferah.  

Greg King has the Yusupova's daughter named Princess Xenia Felixovna, who the author says was named after the Empress Dowager.  Bebe, as she was called by her parents married Prince Nicholas Sheremetiev and they had a daughter, Tatiana who married Ilias Sfiris in Athens in 1965.  I believe, though I may be mistaken that Mme. Tatiana Sfiris has been recently granted Russian citizenship and has taken up residence in St. Petersburg.  Again I may be mistaken.