Vintage retouched photos of the IF

[Sarushka]

Elsewhere, some members have expressed interest in seeing photographs of the IF that have been cropped, retouched, or otherwise altered by turn-of-the-century technology. (Which is a long and pompous way of saying, no Photoshopped images, please!)

For starters...

Rumor has it that Tatiana's nose was thinned and straightened in this 1910 pose:

(I'm not sure if any of Tatiana's other poses from the 1910 session were altered.)

According to Livadia.org, Alexandra's chin was slimmed in these portraits from the 1913 sitting:



I can't prove it, but I've always suspected Alexandra's face has been smoothed and altered in this 1901 formal. She looks very much like Ella:



I have more, which I'll post as I run across them.

[Marie-Catherine]

Oooh that's so interesting ! I've just saw how Alix's face is not usual on the last picture.

[Sarushka]

It also wasn't unusual for people to be cropped out of group photos to create what looked like a new, smaller pose:

Original:



Cropped groups:

(You can see how Alexandra's dress is sort of fuzzy along the side where it had to be 'doctored' in.)

[Sarushka]

Obviously this one's been pixelated/photoshopped where Tatiana's ear should be, but something about her profile makes me wonder if the original had also been altered at some point:



The soft lighting, smudged background, and porcelain-like quality of Tatiana's skin all make me believe this 1916 pose was smoothed and highlighted:

[Holly]

Formal of Anastasia from 1916. Obviously the background has been taken out as well; similar to Tatiana's.

[Sarushka]

I'm suspicious that the detailing on Olga & Tatiana's dresses was smoothed and highlighted in the 1910 session -- the lace almost looks painted on:



Incidentally, according to Lanie virtually all the formal photos were touched up in the lab before being printed en masse.

[EmmyLee]

Thank you for sharing these. I've always wondered about the lace on Olga and Tatiana's dresses as well. Does anyone know what methods were used for retouching photos back then and editing people out of them?

[halen]

A great big thank you. I love to see things like this. Like a before and after. I'm going to be watching this thread alot. Just for the sheer fun of looking at the photos.

I guess it is kind of silly to wonder if other royal families "photo-shopped"

Louise

[Sarushka]

Thank you for sharing these. I've always wondered about the lace on Olga and Tatiana's dresses as well. Does anyone know what methods were used for retouching photos back then and editing people out of them?

I know magazines and newspapers sometimes used simple things like pen and ink (black) or china marker (white) to paint right on the photos. I've got a couple press photos of Queen Mary from the 1920's that have obviously been marked on.

I'm not sure how they managed the cropping and whatnot, though.

In Camera and the Tsars, I believe there's a composite photo of Alexander II's family that includes his dead wife -- I've gotta dig it out and scan it.

[nena]

For example, we don't have Gibbes' left hand in real pic., but on cover book-yes, see:


And I believe photo of IF children you posted Sarushka was taken in 1911---correct me if I am wrong.

[Sarushka]

Thanks nena, but I suspect that photo was altered with modern technology especially for the book cover.

I've always seen those previous portraits labeled as 1910, but I really can't prove it either way. Except, it seems a little odd to me to think that if the photos were indeed taken in 1911, they didn't wait for Olga to turn 16 and wear her hair up. That and the fact that there hadn't been a full set of formals since 1906 makes me lean toward 1910. The children also look very similar to the photos that were taken reading beside the flowers on their 1910 trip to Germany.

[Sarushka]

Here's the group photo that was taken after the death of Marie Alexandrovna. The picture was taken of the family grouped around an empty chair, and she was added:

Her face is shadowed on the left, while everyone else is shadowed on the right. Also, according to Charlotte Zeepvat, the background was painted on -- the original backdrop was a plain curtain.

It appears that the photo of the dead empress was a pose taken from this formal session:

[nena]

Heh?! I love your comparasions, Sarushka. 

Do you believe Alix is not in photo of IF in 1901--I found these, I believe that is Alix, and I agree, looks very as Ella:

[Marie-Catherine]

It also wasn't unusual for people to be cropped out of group photos to create what looked like a new, smaller pose.

I feel so stupid. Iv'e never remarked that N&A's picture was cropped ! It jsut impressing to see how the ''photoshopped'' the pictures at this time.

[Sarushka]

Do you believe Alix is not in photo of IF in 1901--I found these, I believe that is Alix, and I agree, looks very as Ella:

No, I think it's definitely Alix in the 1901 formal. It's just that whoever retouched her face overdid it -- it doesn't look natural anymore. But when you consider her grouchy expression in this photo from the same session, it's easy to imagine why they might have decided to "soften" the empress's look. Anastasia and the empress's hand are both pretty blurry in the retouched pose -- I wonder if the baby schvybzik was fussing and distracting her mother from smiling to her best advantage? ; )