Alexandra's Personal World

[historyfan]

Thank you!  Now that I have the artist, perhaps I can google it.  Unless anyone has a photo of it to scan, to make my life slightly easier..lol.

[Lisa]

I am wondering if the portrait was not posted here a long time ago (in black and white), but I can't find it at the moment. I only fond this discussion: http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php?topic=1115.0

[Lisa]

I've checked and I think I confused the portraits...

[Thomas_Hesse]

This is the portrait! I have seen it in Darmstadt - it was painted after a photograph of Alice.... like so many other portraits as well.

[historyfan]

I've checked and I think I confused the portraits...

Wow, that is one large portrait...but I cannot see much of it.  It's all in shadow...is this somehow just my computer?

[Marie-Antoinette]

^ I think they mean the smaller painting on the right


It looks beautiful. Are there no pictures of it?

[Forum Admin]

According to Bob, this portrait is now at Pavlovsk.

[Alexandre64]

I have just seen a program dedicated to the jewellery of treasures imperial, and they have speak a Ruby which would have been found on the body of the Empress, the Raspoutine Ruby.

It would have been given to Alexandra By Raspoutine, the red of stone has to help to arreter the hemoragie of Alexis.

Is what anybody intended to speak of this history?

[Alexandre64]

The photo is of poor quality, but it represents the Tiara Boucheron offered by Nicolas at the time of betrothal in Windsor, (photo archive of Boucheron):

[Michael HR]

Not heard that story. Do you have any more details

[Alexandre64]

For the  tiara or Rasputin Ruby?

[Alexandre64]

For the Tiara, Nicolas would have bought just before going to Windsor for betrothal, It was a symbol of love, and for its continued that the empress at the door:

In 1904:


In 1913:

[Alexandre64]

Ruby, was offered by Rasputin, the Ruby would be cursed, all owners of this stone have been murdered:
1/Raspoutine, murdered by Prince Yusupov
2 / The Empress, murdered with his family
3 / Then the Ruby is given to Trotsky, who was assassinated in Mexico
4 / Ruby remains in the USSR and the Soviet Union collapse

[Romanov_fan]

With regards to favourite perfumes, I always thought it charming that OTMA's favourites were all inspired by different flowers. Olga's was Rose Thé, Tatiana's was Jasmin de Corse, Maria's was Lilas, and Anastasia's was Violette - rose, jasmine, lilac, and violet, how lovely! These were all Coty perfumes. Coty made a fragrance called La Rose Jacqueminot which first appeared in 1904. I'm not sure if this was the same as Olga's Rose Thé. I have seen a reference to Rose Thé first appearing in 1935, but of course that would be wrong, as it would have been past Olga's time. Tatiana's favourite first appeared in 1906. With regards to Maria's favourite, Coty made two fragrances under the Lilas name in the early 1900's - Lilas Blanc in 1910 and Lilas Pourpre in 1914, the former probably being the one in question since it is the earlier one. Likewise, they made two Violettes, La Violette Pourpre in 1906 and La Violette Ambrée in 1914, and, likewise, I suspect Anastasia's favourite was the former.

In The Real Tsarista, Lili Dehn mentions that Alexandra preferred Atkinson's White Rose, calling it "clean" and "infinitely sweet." However, Floris has a White Rose fragrance which it claims was Alexandra's favourite, and given this particular perfume's history, I believe that to be the correct one. I thought that perhaps Floris acquired Atkinson's White Rose, but then realized that Floris's version had been around since 1800, so Lili must have been confused with this Atkinson. Also, she mentioned that Alix's favourite eau-de-toilette was Verveine, which was by Guerlain. I believe this was the one which first appeared in 1890 called Eau de Verveine.

I found Lilas Blanc being listed as made either in 1910 or 1922 ( beyond Marie's liftetime). Lilas Pourpre is in 1911 in one source, but I did find one source that says it wasn't made until 1914, like you did.

[GoldenPen]

I think the company who supply the Lilas Blanc is still around today with the perfume.