Messages

76

Their World and Culture / Re: pearls, elegance and sadness?

« on: August 29, 2009, 10:56:15 AM »

Yes, pearls do symbolise tears with regards to Victorian mourning customs. Pearls were used to make Victorian mourning jewelry, although they were also used for regular jewelry. I've never seen the Jackie photo, maybe somebody could post that and the Alexandra one to this thread. I know I've seen the Alexandra one, but it's been awhile.

77

Alexandra Feodorovna / Re: Fotos of Alexandra's pregnancies?

« on: August 27, 2009, 04:36:02 PM »

You are so right!  Motherhood has become like having won a prize!

I am not saying that children aren't special, I am just saying that in our times, they are pushed into our faces at every turn.  They have their own food and stores and clothing, etc.  They are held up as a prince or princess instead of being "seen and not heard" as we were when I was a kid.

You see this a lot with celebrities, it's a general trend, but celebrity culture defintely makes it even more prominent, or maybe celebrities just reflect the general trend. You have only read any celebrity magazine to see that motherhood is treated like having won a prize. Back in Alexandra's day, the pregnancies of royalty or prominent/ wealthy people were far less displayed, although of course there was often expectaction or hope for an heir involved in royal pregancies. Even in the early '80s when Diana was pregnant with Prince William the press was criticized for taking pictures of her pregnant in a bikini on vacation, when she had expected privacy. I think they used long range lenses so she didn't even know they were taking photos.

78

The Final Chapter / Re: Awareness of possible execution/Do you think they knew?

« on: August 27, 2009, 04:13:43 PM »

FWIW, they might have learned that from a servant, you now, perhaps someone who was more or less loyal tipped them off and recommended an escape.  I have no way to prove this even happened, nobody knows.  And perhaps a guard or even Sverdlov told them directly that they'd be executed.  I have reasons to think that there might have been cases of sadism against the IF - after all, the guards were uneducated people who might have enjoyed abusing the former most powerful people in Russia.  Mr. Massie describes a gruesome scene in "The Last Chapter" of the treatment given to the bodies of the women after their murder, so I wouldn't be surprised if during their captivity, the IF received all sorts of threats, bad treatment, etc.  

Having had privileged lives, left on their own, they were pretty defenseless.  Having been very well educated and intelligent, they probably knew their chances of survival were slim.

Obviously, imprisonment wasn't fun for the Romanovs, nor where the guards really nice, among other things they stole the IF's possessions from their stored baggage ( it was stored outside), and there was crude graffiti in the restroom, but outright sadism is unlikely too.

79

Alexandra Feodorovna / Re: Was Alix of Hesse disliked by British royals?

« on: August 27, 2009, 04:06:47 PM »

I thought the 1896 visit was when she got precedence, but it seems not. I'm not sure if they ever visited Queen Victoria again, I will have to check. I know I have read either in a biography of Alexandra, or a book about the IF that Queen Victoria did feel she was haughty in 1896. Maybe that book got it wrong. Perhaps that was in Carolly Erickson's biography, which is known to be inaccurate in some regards.

80

The Final Chapter / Re: What do you think would have been the RIGHT end?

« on: August 26, 2009, 10:34:39 AM »

But the Kaiser wanted to save them, and had King George done it, not the Kaiser, I think the Kaiser would have been okay with that. I think King George didn't do it because he was afraid for his own throne.

81

Nicholas II / Re: why not marrying a russian?

« on: August 22, 2009, 12:08:19 AM »

I think their main candidate for marriage was Helene of Orleans. I think they did try to push that. I am sure they wanted Nicholas to be happy with regards to a marriage partner given that their own marriage was a happy one although arranged  at first.

82

Their World and Culture / Re: Were all Romanov women good looking?

« on: August 21, 2009, 11:46:24 PM »

Even images of OTMA and Alexandra in official photos like the 1913 pictures were retouched. I believe they made Alexandra look thinner in those photos- they retouched her chin etc. I don't know if pics of the 1903 ball were ever touched up at all.

83

The Final Chapter / Re: What do you think would have been the RIGHT end?

« on: August 21, 2009, 05:17:14 PM »

I don't recall reading that Italy was considered as a place of exile. They had no close relatives there. England- it's a long story but George V didn't want the IF there due to political concerns. They themselves wanted to go the Crimea at first anyway.

84

Their World and Culture / Re: Were all Romanov women good looking?

« on: August 20, 2009, 10:09:25 PM »

That's a good point about the photography. I think it would have been interesting to see some of these women in color. Grand Duchess Marie P I think would still be regarded as beautiful today along with Marie N, as well as Tatiana N IMH0.

85

The Final Chapter / Re: What do you think would have been the RIGHT end?

« on: August 20, 2009, 09:56:07 PM »

Many countries were proposed as options for exile but either the goverment didn't want to take them in like England and France, or the IF felt that it would be going over to the enemy as it was with Germany. The Scandinavian countries would have been good

86

Their World and Culture / Re: Were all Romanov women good looking?

« on: August 20, 2009, 01:33:56 PM »

Some people would find Xenia or Victoria Melita attractive, personally, I like Victoria Melita's looks, and she also had a beautiful sister, Missy of Romania, who everyone would agree was pretty, yet their sister Sandra now and back then would be regarded as plain. Alexandra and her daughters( except maybe Anastasia) were beautiful in a way that would appeal to everyone, yet Irene, Alexandra's sister was plain, as was Victoria, Alexandra's oldest sister.  So obviously standards of beauty differed within the same family, thus to say that the Romanov or any royal women of a certain family were all good looking or all not isn't true. It seems like there were more Romanov males towards the end of the 19th century/ early 20th than females- Alexander II had all sons except for two daughters, one of whom died quite young. Alexander III had two daughters, three sons ( four if you count the one that died as a baby), and Xenia (Alexander III's daughter), went on to have many boys, and only one girl. OTMA were the first girls in a while in the Imperial Family, really, but although they were beauties, an heir was needed. Anyone else agree with me that Romanov males seemed to out number Romanov females even in the extended branches of the family ( examples- K. R had many sons, only two daughters, Vladimir Alexandrovitch and Miechen had only one daughter and many sons, etc) in the late 19th century/ early 20th century?

87

Their World and Culture / Re: Were all Romanov women good looking?

« on: August 19, 2009, 08:47:15 AM »

When you say the Empress and her daugthers, I assume you mean Alexandra and OTMA. I agree they were beautiful. But OTMA were not at the 1903 ball as they were young children.

88

Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: THE RUSSIAN RIDDLE: Grand Duke Serge Alexandrovich by Tamar Anolic

« on: August 16, 2009, 10:00:44 AM »

Is this available on amazon yet? I checked and couldn't seem to find it.

89

Having Fun! / Re: If you had time-machine in which era would you return?

« on: August 13, 2009, 02:46:53 PM »

Yes, I would have loved to be a silent film star too like Olive Thomas in teens and early '20s ( although she died tragically young), or Barbara La Marr. I love 1920s Hollywood! I have often thought that too that someday people will look back on our era, I know what you mean. Everything is history in the making.

90

The Imperial Family / Re: What got you interested in the Romanovs?

« on: August 13, 2009, 01:32:54 PM »

I didn't know you were so young- your posts are indeed very mature for your age. I have always appreciated them, I thought you were older than me and I'm 23. I partly became interested in Anastasia through the movie too- it's actually by Fox, not Disney.