Alexandra's Personal World

[Sarushka]

Other Faberge items from Alexandra's rooms at the AP:



(I have a few other images of Faberge pieces from the AP, but it's not known whose rooms they were from.)

[David_Newell]

Just lovely, I know AF had some beautiful Galle vases as well but I have only evidence of these being at the Winter Palace. I know some were gifts from the French around 1896 and this would make sense as they lived at the WP a lot before 1905. Shame we do not have more on the inventories of the WP. I know several were done.

[gogm]

0 to 40 degrees is a small range for a thermometer!




It is either a Celcius or Réaumur thermometer - by Alixz 04/28/2009

[Ally Kumari]

(I have a few other images of Faberge pieces from the AP, but it's not known whose rooms they were from.)

Could you post them too please?

[Sarushka]

0 to 40 degrees is a small range for a thermometer!

I believe Alexandra used the Reaumur scale, by which water freezes at 0 and boils at 80 degrees.

[Sarushka]

(I have a few other images of Faberge pieces from the AP, but it's not known whose rooms they were from.)

Could you post them too please?

[Ally Kumari]

Thank you Sarushka! You´re a golden mine.

[Thomas_Hesse]

The photo was taken in 1901 - presumably at Kiel... it is signed "Sunny" and stood on the Tsar's desk at Tsarkoe Selo.
A similar one of Grand Duchess Elisaveta from the same sitting is to be found on Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse's desk at Wolfsgarten

[Thomas_Hesse]

I still think - to be honest - that the Empress did not have a very exclusive and up-to-date style like for example her mother-in-law or sister Grand Duchess Ella whose dresses were most perfectlly designed. I really like the outfits she would wear in privacy: simple but rather elegant gowns which suited here immensely. But on official occasions she often looked rather "home-made" imo.
As for her rooms: it is the same here. We see many official and inofficial presents (such as the items depicted in the recent photographs), souvenirs (she brought some items from Darmstadt such as a couple of paintings from a travel to Italy) and nippes; there is no real "concept" in those rooms. She loved the gaudy patterns so fashionable at the turn of the century (the imp. bedroom seems a mere crime to me - I could not have slept for one singel hour...). The Mauve Room was very much her workingstudy judging by the variety of papers etc. Her children would spend much time there as well.
It might have been expensive but all in all quite average style - which is not a criticism but just statement

[nena]

Umbrella and dress belonged to Tsarina:

[Olga Maria]

From Lili Dehn:


The Empress favoured long, pointed footgear with very low heels: she usually wore suede, bronze or white shoes, never satin. "I can't bear satin shoes, they worry me," she would say. Her gowns, except those worn by her on State occasions, were very simple; she liked blouses and skirts, and she was greatly addicted to tea-gowns: her taste in dress was as refined as that of Queen Mary of England; like her she disapproved strongly of exaggerated fashions, and I shall not easily forget her condemnation when I once came to see her wearing a "hobble" skirt.

"Do you really like this skirt, Lili?" asked the Empress.

"Well . . . Madame," I said helplessly, "c'est la mode."

"It is no use whatever as a skirt," she answered. "Now, Lili, prove to me that it is comfortable - run, Lili, run, and let me see how fast you can cover the ground in it."

Needless to say, I never wore a "hobble" skirt again.

Tell me if I'm wrong, does she mean this? Hobble Skirt
Is this a tea gown?


Does she have sweaty feet that's why she worries wearing satin shoes?

[Sarushka]

"Worry" can also mean "rub."

[CountessKate]

From Lili Dehn:


The Empress favoured long, pointed footgear with very low heels: she usually wore suede, bronze or white shoes, never satin. "I can't bear satin shoes, they worry me," she would say. Her gowns, except those worn by her on State occasions, were very simple; she liked blouses and skirts, and she was greatly addicted to tea-gowns: her taste in dress was as refined as that of Queen Mary of England; like her she disapproved strongly of exaggerated fashions, and I shall not easily forget her condemnation when I once came to see her wearing a "hobble" skirt.

"Do you really like this skirt, Lili?" asked the Empress.

"Well . . . Madame," I said helplessly, "c'est la mode."

"It is no use whatever as a skirt," she answered. "Now, Lili, prove to me that it is comfortable - run, Lili, run, and let me see how fast you can cover the ground in it."

Needless to say, I never wore a "hobble" skirt again.

Tell me if I'm wrong, does she mean this? Hobble Skirt
Is this a tea gown?


Does she have sweaty feet that's why she worries wearing satin shoes?

The dress in the picture is an exaggerated form of the hobble skirt - clearly designed to show its absurdities in comic postcard format.  The hobble skirt was the directoire fashion with a high waist and tapering skirt worn from about 1910 (have a look at the illustrations here: http://www.fashion-era.com/edwardian_fashion_plates.htm).  The 'hobble' was sometimes simply the narrowness of the skirt at the ankles, or an internal tie to keep the steps short.  It was never obtrusive. 

The illustrated dress could possibly be a tea gown, although tea gowns were usually much filmier and frillier - such as this V & A example:


which looked more appropriate for 'lounging' at tea, before dressing for dinner.  However, most tea gowns had a princess-style dress with a draped overdress which this outfit does have - but perhaps it's an early prototype. 

I would have thought satin shoes had a number of faults - they were fragile and gave insufficient support, particularly to a woman who had problems with standing for long periods of time, and they were easily damaged or marked and would not survive many wearings.  She didn't have to have particularly sweaty feet to dislike them.

[Olga Maria]

I saw a picture of Tatiana wearing a hobble skirt.
Thank you so much for your help, CountessKate. I saw a lot of pictures of Alix wearing tea gowns. No wonder it really is her favorite type of dress.

[tom_romanov]

Do you have a copy of this photo Ingrid?