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Messages - Arkhimago

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16
Eric:

How DO you possibly concoct these fantastic segues into the absurd? lol

And how is it that you are inferring that Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, and her sister GD Xenia were of unequal status???

And thusly....how is it, and by whom is it perceived to be "natural" to compare?
And who do you believe was comparing, and to what purpose?

And if you are suggesting that GD Olga's children might have been regarded as common by anyone other than their granny, are you forgetting that they lived in Denmark where they were, above all, the great-grandsons of King Christian IX, and cousins to the regnant monarch?
And, that this was a foreign country which would have little use or interest in the dynastic validity or, the honorifics of a defunct empire.

I am not privy to GD Xenias situation, nor is this thread about her, however I can factually assert that HIH Olga Alexandrovna lived how, and where she did by HER choice. She had many offers presented to her following the passing of her husband, two of which were to return to either Demark or to England, and she had several options of where to live in and around Toronto, all of which she declined.

Like many seniors, she enjoyed her independence, her garden, and her pets. She delighted in spending her days painting, going for long walks, and visiting her many friends. It was only in her final days that she went (by her choice) to stay with friends where she could hear comforting Russian voices, and smell the aromas of Russian food, rather than to convalesce in the hospital. Do understand also that she was in complete possession of her mental faculties until mere days before the end. She had resigned herself to her final days and was quite happy and at peace.

Regretfully, her story was later twisted to proclaim that she "died in poverty" from more contemporary accounts of her life. The house she passed away in, is perhaps right now, in a more run down part of the city, but this was certainly not the case in 1960, nor was she "poor" at the time. Her bed was placed in a large sunny well appointed bedroom, where her every need was attended to. (This is the room you see in the photographs in the second floor, on the left side, with the large bay window). Prior to that, her Cooksville home was in a prosperous area, and despite not being large, was custom built for her (and remains to this day oddly preserved & un-altered, but now surrounded by modern McMansions) amidst a large garden, which she enjoyed immensely. It was well looked after, both inside and out by friends and family & hired help as required, and she received visitors often, as well as accepting invitations for dinners and weekends away. Basically, she was a typical senior citizen(with above-average knick-knacks ;-)

She was a Russian Grand Duchess to her dying day, and was regarded as such in the Russian community where she attended church, and banquets and charity balls with regularity, as well as by her various royal cousins from across the pond who also visited her often.


And finally, (and although I hesitate to conjecture without basis as you always seem to do) GD Olga lived at Hvidovre, with her family (and at her mother's insistence & her beck & call) whereas GD Xenia, "en famille", lived in far off London, hence "out of sight- and out of mind".
Although she treated Colonel Kulikovsky as a commoner, she certainly didn't think of her youngest daughter that way, nor at all in-equal to her sister.
I am puzzled why you even find that worthy of noting? Even if it were true or germane initially it may have not stayed that way.

I do know first hand, her grandson Tikhon actually had warm & fond memories of the dowager empress, for above all else, she was a grandmother.


17

   
"I didn't know that. Is that documented anywhere?" actually DID imply a learned superiority as if you were in complete doubt of it because as YOU were not aware of it, then the info might be of dubious provenance.

It was not my intent to be snide, as I am sure yours was not to appear all-knowing. Perhaps they were merely unconscious traits of us Kniazes. lol

In any event, you now have your references along with some original source material, and should I unearth them, maybe some photographic proof.

18
I do not think it would be documented anywhere else, if at all, unless some other forum member was in attendance at that same picnic, and/or dinner, and/or ball, and happened to note it in this forum.
,
And with cryptic regard, might I perhaps respectfully suggest you read the last paragraph of my posting here on February 6th of 2010.    :)

19
Thanks Svetabel for confirming that.
I never knew how, when or where, the late Queen Mother might have experienced the Dowager Empress' persona to have elicited her kudos of Ms Hayes accurate portrayal of her regal relation in that film.

20
HistoryFan wrote:
Re: Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, discussion

"Poor Olga had had enough of inaccuracy in her life. According to her biography, pretty much everything she read about her brother and his family was false to some degree."

I will concur with HistoryFan completely on this one.
 Other than "The Last Grand Duchess" by Vorres, pretty much everything (including many recent works) is rife with inaccuracies.

I may have mentioned here a few years ago that I have a marked up revision proof of the pre press draft for this book.
There are few stroke outs, and merely a lot of addenda by those privy to the events mentioned, to colour in and expand upon HIH's recollections.

21
History Fan wrote: "I didn't know that. Is that documented anywhere?"

With all due respect to your learned seniority of all themes imperial, I believe that I just DID "document" the items noted in my last post. ;-)

And to Kalafrana: I do not know the timing of that one? 
It is completely viable that Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyons might have met such an august personage prior to her regal marriage?
 
In any event, I will guess that either History Fan or Eric Lowe will be confirming this for us shortly.
(Although from the latter with perhaps a somewhat more... abstract veracity  :)

22
The Grand Duchess and her husband met Helen Hayes, privately, in Toronto in 1958, not long before Colonel Kulikovsky passed away. I do not know what her reaction to the film was overall, but she did praise Ms. Hayes for her uncannily accurate portrayal of the Dowager Empress, as did many others who knew her,most especially Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) who was herself, a mere few months older than Ms. Hayes.
Aside from the incredibly similar appearance and stature, the actress also naturally adopted Empress Marie's posture and demeanour with uncanny accuracy.
I know there are photos of that event, but I am not certain if the two of them appear together in any? If so, I shall post them.
Do consider also that although Grand Duchess Olga was not interviewed for background info for that film, other family members were, and thusly influenced the scriptwriters to make the story more of an epilogue (ie:, not reenacting the gory preamble) in deference to, the then numerous still living family members, which is how it did play out in the final production. And other than the fictitious "presentation" parties in the film, the "vetting" process of the apparent Anastasia was also quite accurate.

On an interesting aside, Hayes involvement in this film led to her great interest in Russian history, and  later in life, Helen Hayes met & befriended Princess Vera Konstantinovna of Russia, who was living in retirement in near by Valley Farm, not far from her own home in Nyack, NY, just outside of New York City.

23

historyfan Offline
 Knyaz
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  Posts: 570
 
Re: Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, discussion and pictures Part 2
 Reply with quote 

"History Fan" queried a few months ago.....
THANK you, Carolath Habsburg, for the larger images! Now, can anyone identify the bald gentleman with the mustache who is facing Marie Feodorovna? The woman in the foreground is obviously one of Olga's fellow nursing sisters, but what about the man of whom you can only see the top half of his face, on the far right? Who's he?, and
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The bald mustachioed gentleman facing the Dowager Empress in that photo is her godson, and also my grandfather. He was an officer in GDO's Hussar regiment, who happened to be posted nearby.

I have attached a photograph of a regimental picnic a few years earlier at our estate in the Ukraine. You can see him seated on the ground in the front row, second from the left.
Directly behind him, and sitting to the left of the regimental batushka, is HIS father, and my great grandfather, a senior officer in that same regiment.
I have only recently discovered this larger full photo. All that we have ever had was the two of them cut out of the original image. I wish it was even larger so that I could see what our manor house in the background, actually looked like. They must have annoyed Stalin somehow, since he personally directed it to be completely demolished. If anyone has any other photos from this event, please contact me.
I do not know who the other gentleman is to Kulikovsky's left? Perhaps like grandpa, he was a fellow officer wrangled in to hold the wedding crowns over the heads of the bride and groom.

I have always thought this photo clearly shows how completely annoyed the dowager empress was to even have to be there ;-) Although it was the fashion for ladies to keep their hats on at the time, she is also wearing her coat, giving the impression that: "Well ok. I will just sit down for a few minutes to have a cup of tea, but I can't stay!"  ;)


 http://s017.radikal.ru/i406/1209/d8/1595298d566d.jpg






 

 
 
 


 
 
 

 

 
 
 

24
It is not "Yuri" but rather Guri, and he is buried in a small town in eastern Ontario, where he lived until 1984, with his last wife Helen, who is still apparently still living.
Tikhon, along with his second wife Livia are both interred at York Cemetery in Toronto with his parents.

25
Eric Lowe vaguely postulated in his last fascinating missive:
"But like Alexandra, she had a firm hold on her children and when they began to marry (Xenia & Nicky), she tightened the parental crews on the rest (Olga & Misha). "


Eric?

What exactly are "parental crews"?? I am relatively fluent in Russian and cannot think of a transliteration of your novel descriptor in that "yahzikh" either?

And being that she WAS a dowager empress, wouldn't the alleged "tightening" be a duty that would be delegated to a "mistress of the robes" or a handy footman??
Or, couldn't she have summarily despatched the "crews" from the Standart or her own yacht for this sacred duty requiring a "firm hold"?

Please advise accordingly? Enquiring minds want to know?

26


Ebay has an ex-library first print (1964) edition of Ian Vorres "The Last Grand Duchess"  listed for sale today currently at (US) $220.00


Follow this link if interested:

http://cgi.ebay.com/The-Last-Grand-Duchess-by-Ian-Vorres-1st-publ.1964_W0QQitemZ120527028036QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20100208?IMSfp=TL100208201005r12527

27
Wow! Thats's the first time that I had ever heard of someone coming to Toronto for the Chinese food?? LOL There has been a thriving Chinatown here since the late 1800's so it is hardly a novelty and I never found the cuisine to be particularly outstanding? I would think that it would be much better in a Pacific seaport like Vancouver, Seattle or San Francisco? Now the Cambodian, Korean and Thai eateries springing up are way more interesting in their offerings. (We DO have some very fine Russian restaurants too!)

28
Actually Eric, You would probably find visiting her actual last home on Camilla Road even more interesting. It is as if it's frozen in time, yet for no apparent reason?

It was originally in the hamlet of Cooksville which was absorbed into the City of Mississauga adjacent to the western boundary of Toronto.  The original 1940's brick bungalow sat on an extra wide property, and since the area has become somewhat affluent now, the lots on either side of the house have been severed off, and are now built up with much larger homes. The only obvious difference is that the driveway which appears on the left side in the older photos is now on the right side of the house, and there is a sidewalk, curb and paved street in front where there used to be a country lane. I am quite surprised that with the current tax rates and land values that the house is still there and has not been been razed to be replaced by a "McMansion"?

Although it is now the smallest home on the street, it has quite strangely not been modernized, added to or altered in any manner whatsoever and yet it is meticulously maintained. Many of the trees and shrubs that the Grand Duchess planted are still there, especially in the rear garden, although the entire property is now kept quite well manicured as opposed to the wilder more natural look that she preferred. Interestingly enough also, her favourite garden center still exists directly across the street from the house which was a great way for her to indulge her gardening hobby as well as having an extra source of interesting flora to arrange as subjects for her water colours.

29
I only just read Twobsbob's query re the exact location of where the Grand Duchess passed away, and I hope that I am not too late with this info?

There has been considerable confusion about this, which I would be delighted to clarify.
The specific address is 716 Gerrard Street East in Toronto. This was originally the left half of a mirror imaged semi-detached second Empire style house built in Toronto in the late 1800's. Sometime in the 1940's as the previously residiential Gerrard  Street became more commercialized, the owner removed the porches, and built out over the front yard to the sidewalk creating two storefronts on the main floor only, retaining the mansard roofed second floor master bedroom with a bay window overlooking the roof of this newer  addition.This feature is still clearly visible in the photos in "The Last Grand Duchess"  as well as in current Google Street Pics (or by simply standing across the street and looking up) The property and building are quite deep, and even with the front section converted to retail, it still left a lot of a space in the rear and above.

At the time of the Grand Duchess's passing in 1960, the left half (716) was still a Beauty Salon operated by the family who had looked after her, while the right half (718) was a barber shop. By the time Ian Vorres took the photograph featured in his book in 1964, the family had closed the salon (removing the signage) but remained living in the rather substantial attached residence until they sold the building in the late 1970's. Since then, the barber shop in the right half (718) has has, coincidentally, become a become a Beauty Salon, (which is what seems to be causing the confusion!) whereas the left side is now Dragonair Travel. The neighbourhood has changed in character and is now predominantly Korean. There was originally a secondary entrance into the residence and access to the rather handsome garden from the west side, but that is now gone, totally obliterated by a new commercial building. Grand Duchess Olga passed away in that upper front bedroom. Her bed was placed against the west wall, so that she was bathed in the autumn sunshine every day until the early afternoon coming in through the large bay window.

You also mentioned an interest in visiting HIH's burial place. It is very easy to get to and is approximately a ten minute walk from Sheppard subway station on the Yonge Street line in North York, a suburb of Toronto. Walk straight north from the subway exit on Yonge Street for three blocks to North York Blvd. Turn left and follow the road around the concert hall straight into the main entrance gates of the vast York Cemetery following the main allee. Keep walking west until you reach the massive war cenotaph in the middle of the avenue (and the cemetery). Turn right and walk a few hundred metres north where you will will see the huge stone cross marking her grave directly in front of you where the lane ends. It is so large that you can see the shadow it casts in the Google Maps image. There is a bronze plaque commemorating her superimposed over a bas-relief Imperial eagle, in front of it










30
Forum Announcements / Anastasia: A new Ballet?!?
« on: October 16, 2007, 01:24:43 AM »
Imagine my surprise while "lurking" on the AP site this evening, with a local classical music station playing in the background, to hear a commerical (sandwiched between two concertos!), for the new Ballet by Opera Jorgen: "Anastasia" being performed in Toronto Canada on November 6/07 and then touring across Canada. I "googled" the theatre's venue and have appended the following synopsis: (My apologies if I have deposited it in the wrong location. I am sure that an ever-vigilant moderator will relocate it into the correct slot.)

ANASTASIA

Ballet Jörgen Canada will create its largest undertaking to date with the magical story of the Russian princess Anastasia. Created by acclaimed choreographer and Artistic Director Bengt Jörgen, Anastasia will be set to an original full orchestra score by Canadian/Russian composer Ivan Barbotin.

The mystery of what happened to the young 17 year old princess, Anastasia has fascinated people for 90 years spanning a multitude of books, movies and musicals. Anastasia is both a tragic story of a simple, innocent girl and the subject of modern mythology, as little is certain of what actually happened that fateful summer of 1918.

The human drama of this young girl born into privilege and cast out into a world of immense heartache proves an extraordinary gripping tale. The ballet will explore the emotions, aspirations and affections of this loveable yet controversial character as the world is transformed around her. Ballet Jörgen Canada, renowned for its ability to succinctly tell a fascinating story in an engaging and dramatic fashion will follow the young daughter of the fallen Russian emperor through the ballrooms of St. Petersburg, the Russian Revolution, to captivity and beyond.

Anastasia will be a full-length ballet, approximately 2 hours in length plus one intermission. It will be performed by 16 – 18 dancers with a full complement of production values including sets, costumes, and the ability for the music to be performed live or to tape.

Bengt Jörgen is one of Canada’s most popular choreographers. His most recent full-length productions Cinderella, Romeo & Juliet and Coppélia are performed both nationally and internationally, helping to broaden the interest in dance with ballets that are warm, engaging and creative.

Ivan Barbotin, an extraordinarily gifted ballet composer, has written the music for two of Ballet Jörgen Canada’s most popular works, The Velveteen Rabbit and The Emperor’s New Clothes.

 

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