Alix & Ella & the Hessian Siblings

[hikaru]

This wonderful book ( it is very beautiful note book ) is in the Armoury ( but it is not at exposition).
In the album "The world of Faberge" issued by Moscow Kremlin there is a photo of the cover of the book as well as the photo of some pages for 1906 and 1902 years.
The notebook contains names drawings and price of the eggs.
This book contains data from 1897 till 1906 years. For ten years Alexandra made drawings in her notebook of the Easter presents given by her to members of her family , relatives , friends and those closest to her at the court. The presents consists of miniature pendants and charms in the forms of Eeaster Eggs. The notebook is bound in grey blue leather with gold-tipped pages. On the reverse of the fly-leaf is the following inscription in ink written by the owner of the notebook: " Easter eggs for the family  and friends". There are from twenty to thirty drawings on each sheet, They consist of fairly schematic sketches which indicate only the colour of the object and a very approximate description of its ornament. By each sketch Alex has written in ink , mostly in Latin script , the name of the person for whom the gift was intende and a note of the price roubles. Judging by the drawings in the notebook , the Empress gave seventy or eighty such Easter presents each year.

[anna]

Thank you Hikaru.
I didn't realise it was the same notebook mentioned in "The Jewel Album of Tsar Nicholas II" by Solodkoff.
This wonderful book contains the notebook of Nicholas  in which he recorded and illustrated his jewellery gifts.
Very touching are the gifts from Alix upon the occasion of his childrens birth.
So  both the notebooks are now in the Oruzheinaya Palata ( the Armoury Museum). A pity that they are not exposed.

Anna

[hikaru]

Yes , it is a pitty,
It would be wonderful if there will be a room for Faberge pieces, but there is not such room yet.

[hikaru]

I have one question: Why Ella called Alix Pelly in her letters  before official engagement?.
I know that it was secret name for  Alix, but why Pelly?

[Bsquared]

I feel that Ella could have been a great help to Alix, and for many reasons was not/unable:
1.) She lived in Moscow with Serge-they did not see each other very much
2.) Lots of intriguing in society circles about their relationship from the time Alix arrived in Russia
3.) Ella did not want to be seen as coming between her husband and mother-in-law
4.) Ella's sisterhood became her priority
5.) Alix was very proud and parinoid and did not like her sister questioning who she spent time with or sought advice from
6.) Ella, who did not have children of her own, could not understand the Rasputin influence and Alix's anguish over Alexei's hemophilia

[Speedycat]

I have one question: Why Ella called Alix Pelly in her letters  before official engagement?.
I know that it was secret name for  Alix, but why Pelly?

The engagement, or plans of it, were not favored by Queen Victoria and several other members of the extended family.  So Ella wrote in a sort of code to transmit messages between Alix and Nicky.  She even reversed the genders in these messages.

[hikaru]

I know it. But why Pelly. What Pelly means?

[bluetoria]

I wonder if they just picked any name - there was a Captain Pelly involved in the Royal Service...I wonder if it was anything to do with him??

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

I've found one of the letters which I mentioned. It is from April 1909 & Ella is responding to all Nicky's arguments (..... )
Poor Ella...she ends with endless humble apologies:
"I will be so grateful for your advice & remarks.  Forgive me, both of you. I know and feel alas that I worry you & perhaps you don't quite understand me, pleaseforgive and be patients with me, forgive my mistakes, forgive my living differently than you would have wished, forgive me that I can't often come and see you because of my duties here. Simply with your good hearts forgive, and with your large Christian souls pray for me and my work."
There are several other similar letters.  

Hello Bluetoria,

Well, IMHO this endless list of apologies from Ella cannot really be any proof of her humility. I mean we would need to be able to look into her soul to be sure of her feelings when she wrote those words. The recipient of the letter, especially in strained circumstances, could take it in a sarcastic way: "forgive my being so perfect and so loved by everybody", and just think Ella was playing the victim.

Hope you understand what i mean....

Ella was such a complex character.

[bluetoria]

Hi, Antonio  

Hmmm...Well, yes it's true we cannot look into her soul, or know the reaction of the recipient. As I understand it, though, I would think it was a very humble & polite way of writing, "I have to do this...please understand me, or at least bear with me." Judging by Ella's whole way of life, I cannot see that she had any ulterior motive in writing it. She felt that her 'call' was from God, and therefore she had to follow it. At the same time, she was facing all kinds of criticism from her family....They just, imo, weren't 'deep' enough to reach her.  

I think she was in some ways a 'complex character' but in other ways, she was direct and simple and it was the simplicity of her character that so baffled the more 'sophisticated' people.  

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

Hi Bluetoria !

Thanks for your answer.

Of course, i did not tried by any way to judge Ella´s ulterior intentions when writting that letter. What i wanted to say is that i could understand if Alexandra were not contented with that endless list of apologies from her sister.

Regards,

Antonio.

[Finelly]

Another perspective:

Alix was awkward, extremely shy, lacked social grace, had more difficulty learning Russian than her sister, and was fundamentally unprepared for life in Russia as Tsarina.  She arrived, became a bride, and became Tsarina so quickly that there was no time to adjust before assuming her duties.  Her social interactions were so awkward that she was made fun of.

Her sister, on the other hand, was, by all accounts, perfect.  She was gorgeous and never looked out of place.  She was graceful, articulate, much admired, and charming.  She seemed to be able to everything well........and everyone loved her.  Everyone.  She could do not wrong.

If I was Alexandra, I would have harbored some resentment.  Perhaps it was subconscious at first, but even so, there would have come a time when it would have begun to come to the surface.  Given Alexandra's personality, that resentment had to have contributed to what happened next. If Ella began to try to coach or counsel her, or disagree with her in any waym no matter how loving, it could have been taken as an affront.

Can you see how, if Ella changed into a saintly, super-religious woman who swore off all of the luxuries that Alexandra had, this would have REALLY begun to be annoying.  Now, even Ella's religiosity is better than Alexandra's!  (in a manner of speaking, of course).   Why, not only do the nobles love her, but now the common people love her.  And Alexandra knew how the common people hated HER.......

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

Another perspective:

Alix was awkward, extremely shy, lacked social grace, had more difficulty learning Russian than her sister, and was fundamentally unprepared for life in Russia as Tsarina.  She arrived, became a bride, and became Tsarina so quickly that there was no time to adjust before assuming her duties.  Her social interactions were so awkward that she was made fun of.

Her sister, on the other hand, was, by all accounts, perfect.  She was gorgeous and never looked out of place.  She was graceful, articulate, much admired, and charming.  She seemed to be able to everything well........and everyone loved her.  Everyone.  She could do not wrong.

If I was Alexandra, I would have harbored some resentment.  Perhaps it was subconscious at first, but even so, there would have come a time when it would have begun to come to the surface.  Given Alexandra's personality, that resentment had to have contributed to what happened next. If Ella began to try to coach or counsel her, or disagree with her in any waym no matter how loving, it could have been taken as an affront.

Can you see how, if Ella changed into a saintly, super-religious woman who swore off all of the luxuries that Alexandra had, this would have REALLY begun to be annoying.  Now, even Ella's religiosity is better than Alexandra's!  (in a manner of speaking, of course).   Why, not only do the nobles love her, but now the common people love her.  And Alexandra knew how the common people hated HER.......

Hi Finelly,

I think Alexandra could have hardly envied Ella in a concious way. Apart from her popularity, what did Ella have that her sister could envy? Alexandra had a husband to love and be loved in return, and her children.
Ella had little more than a huge empty palace. IMO, Ella was so alone and could only look for happiness and peace in her own inner life(maybe that´s the reason why she founded the Martha and Mary convent and tried to fill in her days helping the poor in Moscow).

Now, if Ella knew of Alexey´s illness and how Rasputin would really heal him, how couldn´t she understand why her sister needed him?

About being popular between the common russian people, i think Alexandra kept thinking to the very last day of her life that the russian people still loved the Tsar and his family.

Really Ella left behind her former luxurious lifestyle. Yet her study at the convent cannot be called ascetic....

[Ssyentz]

Two very complex women.  

I often think that if Alix could have had as much contact with their mother as Ella did, she would have been so much more confident.  Some say she was so imperious that she shunned the public.  In so many instances, however, she showed her great timidity at being in public.  In a rather twisted way, her strength was nourished by those who needed her...that is to say that her family became so dependent on her that she had to become a pillar.  

Ella, on the other hand, seemed much more able to adapt to her circumstances in a positive manner.  Her many attempts to warn Alix and Nicky had to be taken as affronts by Alix in that she was so very, very sure that Rasputin was her son’s salvation.  In Alix’ skewed perception, any discussion of Rasputin being less that an angel of mercy was almost treasonous.   While Ella was convinced that the public view of Rasputin was undermining the monarchy and thus felt compelled to warn her sister, Alix received any such thought as effrontery.  

The contrast between these two is almost painful.  Their rôles in respect to their husbands contrasted so, yet each was irrevocably attached to her spouse.  While Ella adapted, however, Alix pushed.  Where Ella fell into line, Alix drew her own boundaries.  Both women were so full of passion that, under other circumstances, they would probably been able to share their adulthoods happily together.  As it turned out, however, the one who could live without her husband did.  The other died with hers.

[Finelly]

I think Alexandra could have hardly envied Ella in a concious way. Apart from her popularity, what did Ella have that her sister could envy? Alexandra had a husband to love and be loved in return, and her children.
Ella had little more than a huge empty palace. IMO, Ella was so alone and could only look for happiness and peace in her own inner life(maybe that´s the reason why she founded the Martha and Mary convent and tried to fill in her days helping the poor in Moscow).

True, and we as objective observers can see that.  But you know how siblings are.  Many times they think the other one is luckier, even though they are simply different.