The Court of the Last Tsar: Pomp, Power,Pageantry

I think that "I see..." keeps changing his name and his avatar.  I know that he was "Bob the Builder" because I asked him and he said he was.

I think that now he is just "Paris, France".

I did want to mention to him, though, that the old rhyme was "I see London, I see France..."     

Yes, that's me. I just shortened it a bit. And I know you weren't suggesting AA was AN, I was just saying she probably never watched it.

What's y'alls favorite chapter in the book? 

My fave, by far is IMPERIAL BALLS.  I just love reading about imperial balls!!

What's y'alls favorite chapter in the book? 

My fave, by far is IMPERIAL BALLS.  I just love reading about imperial balls!!

That is one of my favs.  But my absolute favorite chapter would be the special chapter concerning Russia's military and technology...also including what regiments were commanded by the GD's

I found the entire book to be an enjoyable read. Greg King is starting to become one of my favorite writers on the Romanovs.

I just finished reading it today.  I got a bit of a headache with all of the descriptions of the clothing and the uniforms, but over all I thought it was very good.

I would have liked to see more pictures in color.  I was "shocked" by how "ugly" Grand Duchess Olga Nicholaevna's court dress looked in the color picture.  I hope the picture was taken in bad lighting or maybe the dress has deteriorated. Instead of white it looked bronze or green!

I found the various descriptions of Alix by different diarists to be interesting.

I was "shocked" by how "ugly" Grand Duchess Olga Nicholaevna's court dress looked in the color picture.  I hope the picture was taken in bad lighting or maybe the dress has deteriorated. Instead of white it looked bronze or green!

I think it was just bad lighting that caused the discoloration. Here are some other photos of the dress (and some of its "sisters") pictured in plate #33:

They're made of pink/silver tissue, without trains. OTMA wore them for the 1910 series of formal court portraits:




Plate #33 is labeled as "The gown worn by Olga Nikolaievna on page 243", but I think that's incorrect. This is the photo from page 243, which was taken in 1913:



The big pair's 1913 court gowns were made of satin trimmed with velvet, and had full-length trains. Olga is actually wearing one of these dresses on page 243:

Sarushka - what book are those color photos from?  I know I've seen some of them before, but I can't remember where it was or what source   

Sarushka - what book are those color photos from?  I know I've seen some of them before, but I can't remember where it was or what source   

They're from all different places. I'm pretty sure the 1913 court gowns come from Nicholas & Alexandra: The Last Imperial Family of Tsarist Russia. And I believe the middle photo of the 1910 gowns is in Nicholas II: The Imperial Family.

The first picture of the 1910 gowns is probably a tourist snapshot from the Alexander Palace. The dresses are/were on display there at one time (see photo below). I don't know the source for the third one. I think it came to me by way of Lanie.


Court dress display in the AP:

Sarushka,   Thank you.  Is  Nicholas II:  The Imperial Family a museum collection guidebook type of coffee table book?  Some what like Nicholas & Alexandra by the State Heritage Museum?

Sarushka,   Thank you.  Is  Nicholas II:  The Imperial Family a museum collection guidebook type of coffee table book?

Yes. It's a nice paperback, not too large (120 pages) with very good quality photos on glossy pages. It displays a lot of the imperial family's personal effects, which are now part of the Peterhof Museum Complex's collection.

Sarushka, Thank you yet again 

I looked at your link to the AP book listing and I think I am going to have to find a copy.