A rough guide to the Beinecke Albums

[Sarushka]

After four years of randomly searching through the Beinecke Romanov albums in search of one photo or another, I finally got frustrated enough to spend a couple afternoons making a list of what's in each album.

This is a rough guide, not a precise index. My goal was to convey a basic idea of what type of photos are on each page of each album to help narrow the field for future searches. I noted dates and places as often as I could. For example, this list won't tell you where to find the signed photo of Olga in her Red Cross uniform with Maria beside her, but it will tell you to start on page 37 of album #3 to find nursing pictures.

A few notes:
"snapshots" have people in them

"scenes" or "views" are landscapes

Vyrubova's albums are a bit sloppy, so the dates aren't 100% foolproof. She occasionally pasted new photographs onto old pages, and I'm not convinced they were in precise order to begin with.

A notation like "OTMA aboard Standart" doesn't necessarily mean all four grand duchesses appear together in every photo on the page -- rather, the page includes images of the girls singly or in combination.


Here goes...

[Sarushka]

Album 2
1912-1913
50 pages

Front cover: sketches; signed menus & programs
1: aboard Standart
2-3: shore excursion
4: aboard Standart
5-6: shore excursion (tennis/picnic for MF’s namesday)
7: aboard Standart (OTMA with Voronov)
8-10: shore excursion (tennis/swings/Aleksei & cadets)
11-14: aboard Standart (one photo from Peterhof on pg 12)
14: tennis (one AP exterior photo)
15-17: aboard Standart (dancing; MF & OTMA on deck)
18: shore excursion (tennis with MF; Aleksei & cadets)
19-21: aboard Standart
22: Standart cabin interiors
23: aboard Standart
24: postcards of August, 1912 (Borodino festivities)
25: Borodino postcard; cityscapes
26: Borodino postcards
27: AOTMAA at Peterhof; scenery
28-29: Russian scenery
30: Spala (TMA playing tennis)
31-41: Spala (hunting, tennis, exteriors, interiors, N&A reading telegrams)
42: Fedorovsky Godorok; snow games at AP
43: AP sickroom (Tatiana with typhoid – February 1913)
44: AP sickroom; AP balcony (Tatiana in furs)
45: AP balcony (furs/uniforms); Mauve room
46: assorted (AF on horseback; MF; Vyrubova’s house; Little Pair at Peterhof)
47: Alexander Park (NAOTMAA in kayaks, carriages & bicycles)
48: Little Pair in Alexander Park; Vyrubova’s family
49: Vyrubova’s family
Back cover: signed menus & programs

[Sarushka]

Album 3
1914-1915
60 pages

Front cover: newspaper clippings; 1917 photo of Alexandra in wheelchair
1: aboard Standart (OTMA in sweaters, scarves & hats)
2: Livadia, spring 1914
3: OTMA in gardens
4-5: Tennis
6: Yalta bazaar; tennis; courtyard
7: White Flower Day 1914; NAOTMAA at Stavka 1916 (Panoramic images)
8: Panoramic scenery
9: Scenery; picnic; terrace
10: Vyrubova’s family; Malyi Palace
11: Panoramic scenery
12-14: Hiking/walking excursion
15: Scenery; Vyrubova’s family
16: Panoramic scenes of Livadia’s grounds (includes Nicholas II); Aleksei & Dr. Derevenko in an automobile
17: Panoramic scenes; NII playing tennis
18: Courtyard; NII & Aleksei on a beach (Evpatoria 1916?)
19: Exteriors of Livadia palace & grounds
20: Exteriors of Livadia palace & grounds; Gilliard & Big Pair on balcony
21: Exteriors; OTMA on a balcony; Olga & Vyrubova on a staircase
22: Russian scenery (caption illegible)
23-24: Russian scenery
25: Alexandra at Peterhof; Vyrubova’s family (June 1914)
26: Alexandra and Olga at Peterhof; Vyrubova’s family
27: aboard Standart (OTMA in polka dots)
28: aboard Standart; Olga & Maria in Livadia
29: aboard Standart; shore excursion (NII with Joy)
30: shore excursion (probably Finland)
31: NII on AP balcony; NOTMA tennis poses with Vyrubova & officers; Alexandra aboard Standart; Vyrubova’s sister
32: Nicholas, WWI
33: Postcards from declaration of war at the Winter Palace
34: Vyrubova’s family; nursing
35: Aleksei dining at Stavka; Olga/Tatiana eating in the AP children’s dining room; Vyrubova’s family
36: Assorted nursing, wartime, and Vyrubova family snapshots
37: Nursing; NAOTMAA along the Dneiper
38: Nursing
39: Nursing; NAOTMA in carriages & bicycles in the Alexander Park
40-44: Nursing
45: Nursing; NII at Stavka
46: Nursing; NII & Aleksei at Stavka; Aleksei with cadets (at Peterhof?)
47-51: Nursing
52: Vyrubova in bed; Vyrubova’s family; Alexandra at Vyrubova’s house
53: Vyrubova recovering at her home and the AP
54: NAA on AP balcony; OTM dressed for KR’s funeral; AOTMA in traveling suits
55: Vyrubova family
56: Vyrubova family; NAOTMA, Misha & Dmitry Pavlovich on imperial train; interior of Alexandra’s reception room
57: Alexandra on balcony; Big Pair and Vyrubova with Cossack; Vyrubova’s family
58: Alexandra & daughters on balcony (Peterhof?); Alexandra & Tatiana in a field
59: Vyrubova’s family; Alexandra on Peterhof balcony
Back cover.

[Sarushka]

Album 4
1909
51 pages

1: Postcards of imperial family on holiday (1890’s)
2: OTMA & NII in Sevastopol
3: Livadia, Old Palace exteriors
4-5: Livadia grounds
6: OTMAA on Livadia terrace and swimming
7: Aleksei
8: AOT with Vyrubova at the seaside
9: Grand duchesses on horseback; Alexandra by the sea; Livadia terrace
10: Alexandra by the sea; panoramic scenery
11: assorted outdoor snapshots (Grand duchesses, Vyrubova & her sister; GD Dmitry Pavlovich, etc.)
12: Maria & urn; palace interiors
13: assorted outdoor snapshots; NII & Aleksei dining in the Old Palace
14: Panoramic scenery
15: NAOTMAA at tea in the Old Palace; Alexandra & imperial children posing on balcony
16: Aleksei in Cossack uniform; Alexandra on balcony
17: courtyard & outdoor snapshots
18: Alexandra in gardens
19: yacht Standart; scenery
20: N&A outdoors; scenery
21: Grand duchesses on horseback; panoramic scenery
22: balcony/horseback/tennis
23: NII in army private’s uniform; Aleksei & Derevenko; Vyrubova on horseback; Vyrubova’s father
24: NAOTMAA outdoor snapshots
25: Alexandra and Tatiana with officers; Vyrubova & officers; palace interiors
26: assorted outdoor snapshots (Ai Todor?)
27: assorted outdoor snapshots (Livadia grounds)
28: OTMA on a wall with Vyrubova and Alexandra; assorted outdoor snapshots
29: assorted outdoor snapshots & scenery
30: Alexandra on Livadia grounds (also Vyrubova, Schneider, officers)
31: OTMA & Vyrubova; signed programs
32: assorted outdoor/seaside snapshots; scenery
33: Lili Dehn & Titi; aboard Standart; shore excursion
34: Alexandra on Peterhof balcony; Olga & Maria in classroom
35: snapshots on AP balcony & Vyrubova’s house
36: snapshots at Vyrubova’s house (mostly officers)
37: snapshots at Vyrubova’s house (mostly officers); Aleksei behind AP
38: Alexandra on AP balcony and in Alexander Park
39: NII and Aleksei in Mauve room; Alexandra modeling for sculpture; Vyrubova’s family
40: snapshots at Vyrubova’s house (family & officers)
41-43: panoramic military exercises
44: Aleksei near Catherine Palace; Aleksei & Petrov; AOTMA outdoors; Vyrubova’s family
45: Vyrubova’s family
46: military exercises; Vyrubova’s family
47: Alexandra reclining on balcony; Vyrubova’s family
48: Alexandra reclining on balcony (with Big Pair and Vyrubova); Vyrubova’s family
49: Vyrubova’s family; OTMA wearing berets; Alexandra on balcony
50: panoramic scenery; OTMAA in sleighs
51: back cover

[Sarushka]

Album 5
1908-1909
90 pages

1: shore excursion; aboard Standart
2: aboard Standart; Alexandra in her cabin
3: launches for shore excursion
4: Alexandra & Aleksei in AP playroom; picnic/shore excursion (Finland?)
5-6: aboard Standart
7: Alexandra aboard Standart; shore excursion with Sablin
8: aboard Standart; shore excursion
9: Alexandra in her cabin; seaside picnic
10: launches; aboard Standart
11: shore excursion with Alexandra
12: Alexandra (Standart, Peterhof, etc.)
13: AOTMAA at Ropsha
14: NAOTMAA at Ropsha
15: OTMA aboard Standart with Sablin & Byutsova
16: AOT knitting on Standart; shore excursion
17: AOTMAA posing on deck with cameras
18. aboard Standart (Aleksei with sailors)
19: Aleksei on Standart
20: NAA on Standart
21: AOTMA on Standart; Maria & Vyrubova aboard Polar Star
22: AOTMAA aboard Standart; NII on shore excursion
23: shore excursion (Finland)
24: Alexandra and officers aboard Standart
25: aboard Standart
26: Vyrubova’s family; aboard Standart
27: aboard Standart
28: panoramic sea views; officers aboard Standart
29: sea views; Alexandra, Vyrubova & Tatiana boarding Standart from a launch
30: aboard Standart
31: aboard Standart; launches
32: Alexandra reclining ashore; Aleksei on deck
33: NAA aboard Standart
34: shore excursion with Alexandra; officers on board Standart
35-6: shore excursion (Alexandra carried by sailors)
37: aboard Standart
38: Alexandra at Peterhof; Alexandra & daughters in Mauve room
39: assorted family snapshots inside AP
40: assorted snapshots of Alexandra in AP
41: Vyrubova’s house & family
42: Alexandra and Vyrubova in AP
43-45: assorted snapshots in Mauve room (last photo in Maple room)
[1909 starts approximately here]
46: snow snapshots in the Alexander Park
47: N&A on AP balcony; Vyrubova friends & family
48: Vyrubova’s house; AOTMAA on AP balcony
49: AOTMA in Mauve room & on balcony; military exercises
50: military exercises
51: AOTMAA observing from Catherine Palace steps
52: Alexandra & Lili Dehn at Vyrubova’s house
53: AOTMA at Pavlovsk Park
54: assorted snapshots
55: military exercises; AOT & Lili Dehn (at Pavlovsk?)
56: Lili Dehn at Vyrubova’s house; snapshots matching previous page; Aleksei & Derevenko picking flowers
57: assorted snapshots (AP playroom, Alexander Park, Peterhof)
58: snapshots at Peterhof
59: same; Vyrubova’s family
60: snapshots on AP and Peterhof balconies; Vyrubova’s family
61: Russian scenery
62-3: aboard Standart
64: shore excursion; Alexandra belowdecks
65: shore excursion (seaside & picnic in the woods)
66-7: aboard Standart
68: shore excursion; Olga & Sablin
69-72: shore excursion, picnic & games
73: aboard Standart; wading in skerries
74: aboard Standart; shore excursion
75-6: Vyrubova family (also Felix Yusupov)
77: Vyrubova family; military exercises
78: Peterhof snapshots (includes Fredericks, Yusupov, GD Dmitry, Vyrubova’s family)
79: Peterhof snapshots (Alexandra in boudoir; Big Pair with Irina); Aleksei wading
80: Peterhof snapshots (balcony & wading)
81: Alexandra on Peterhof balcony
82: Alexandra on Peterhof grounds
83: Alexandra aboard Standart; panoramic sea views
84: OTMA in Sevastopol; sea views
85: aboard Standart
86: sea views
87: AOTMAA picnicking in Livadia
88: Livadia snapshots; Orianda scenery
89: Orianda; Anastasia & Aleksei on Old Palace balcony; Livadia snapshots
90: Livadia snapshots

[Sarushka]

Album 6
1908
39 pages

Front cover: sketches
1: Alexandra at Peterhof [“when Anastasia had difteria”]
2: Alexandra in AP; snow snapshots in Pavlovsk Park
3: snow snapshots in Pavlovsk Park
4: panoramic snow snapshots in Alexander Park
5-7: snow snapshots in Alexander Park
8: Alexandra in AP; Alexandra in sleigh; Vyrubova’s house
9: Alexandra in Maple room; Alexandra & daughters at Vyrubova’s house
10: Alexandra on AP balcony & imperial bedroom; Vyrubova’s house & family
11: Alexandra & Maria in Maple room (court dress); Vyrubova’s house & family
12: Alexandra in Pavlovsk Park; AOTMAA in sleigh
13: Alexander Park snapshots (bridges & kayaks)
14: Alexander Park & balcony snapshots (OTMAA in windowsill)
15: AP balcony snapshots; Anastasia knitting in Mauve room
16: aboard Standart with Queen Alexandra
17-18: aboard Standart
19-20: group shots aboard Standart (with sailors & officers)
21-22: aboard Standart
23-24: shore excursion
25: aboard Standart
26: Alexandra looking out porthole; shore excursion
27-28: panoramic sea views
29:  shore excursion
30-31: aboard Standart
32: aboard Standart (rain slickers)
33-35: aboard Standart; shore excursion
36: shore excursion (climbing rocks)
37: OTMAA & kittens
38: deck games; shore excursion; Alexandra in her cabin
39: Back cover (sketches and signatures)

[Sarushka]

Album 7
1910-1911
43 pages

1: aboard Standart
2: aboard Standart; sea views
3-4: aboard Standart; panoramic sea views
5: games on shore
6: aboard Standart
7: shore excursion with Olga A.
8: aboard Standart
9: aboard Standart with Olga A.
10: picnic & games ashore
11: aboard Standart
12: shore excursion; Anastasia & Olga A on deck
13: imperial children on the beach; forest picnic; Peterhof
14: aboard Standart
15: Russian scenery
16-24: Darmstadt/Germany
25: snapshots in imperial bedroom;  NII & Aleksei kayaking
26: snapshots (AP balcony, military exercises, Mauve room, Vyrubova’s house)
27: Alexandra in Mauve room; AP balcony & park
28: AP balcony & park snapshots
29: aboard Standart [first page labeled 1911]
30: aboard Standart; shore excursion
31: Sevastopol
32-33: aboard Standart (OTMA with officers)
34: panoramic views of Yalta
35-6: exteriors of new Livadia palace
37: palace interior; Big Pair outdoors
38: Livadia outdoor snapshots; Alexandra at Yalta bazaar
39: seaside snapshots; Yalta bazaar
40: outdoor snapshots; bazaar
41: outdoor snapshots (Anastasia on lion statue)
42-43: Yalta bazaar

[Sarushka]

It's still a lot to wade through, but hopefully it'll be quicker than paging through the images individually.

I also have this list in a Word document. If you'd like a copy, PM me with your email address.

[Forum Admin]

I know how much work this is! I did it myself, but at the same time was translating Spiridovitch, and I made a correlation between the photos and the events mentioned in the text. If I can find those pages, I can annotate them even more specifically to exact days and events...

Sadly they are on paper, so, it may take a while to re-locate them.

[Alixz]

I am going to do exactly what we as "mods' have been asking everyone not to do.  I am going to say "wow!"  What a great idea!

Just this past weekend I was trying to show my husband the Beinecke photo albums and I couldn't even get Beinecke to let me search!

My husband's comments were much like those of the rest of us.  How many pictures did they take?  He is not at all a Romanov researcher and what I tell him about what we are doing goes in one ear and out the other.  I wanted to show him Anna Vyrubova's albums to give him an indication of how much is out there and how much more is in other repositories.

I am so lucky to be close to Yale and I have gone to Beinecke.  It is wonderful to hold the albums and the photos.  One can almost "feel' the history.

However, I went many years ago and I would imagine since 9/11 and also since the theft of considerable art and historical paperwork from Beinecke that it is most likely much harder to get in and just "ask" as my friend and I did over 20 years ago.

Sarushka, you are a goddess!  (FA, you are no slouch, yourself!)

Alixz

[I am_Tatianochka]

What a saint you are... Thanks.

[Olga Maria]

Thanks for the work, Sarah! I praise you so much....
I'll not die rummaging through the Beinecke albums because of YOU!

[Lisa49]

amazing work!!! It`s will help a lot. Thank you.

[Jelisaveta]

Wow!! That's amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing this, it just saved me a lot of time.

[EmmyLee]

How have I missed this until now? Sarushka, thank you for all the time you put into this. Not only have you made it so much easier to find what I'm looking for, but you've also answered some of my questions about who's in some of those photos. Thank you!