Olga Photographs IV

[blessOTMA]

I posted this photo of the big pair, ducky and minnie back in Dec. and  AP member, matushka, was kind enough to add the  info below about the event pictured  at that time from Tatiana's diary.  Ducky , like Alix ,was Queen Victoria's grandmother...makes sense she would be at an English hospital visit. Even more so since she started an English hospital herself in St. Petersburg with the UK ambassador's wife  ...

19 january 1916. From Tatiana's diary: "At 2.15, we 2 with Iza went to Petrograd to Anichkov. We went with Grand-mother to aunt Ella's house for the benediction of the lazaret. There was a Te Deum. We looked at all the rooms, then were pictured. We drank tea. The whole personal is from England, the came from England especially for that."  (Source: Sisters of mercy)

[voyageroffreedom]

Same day as the picture in reply #335:

[Rodney_G.]

Voyager
Neat picture! Obviously the same day, possibly on the return from parade grounds. Where did you see it?
Rodney

[voyageroffreedom]

Voyager
Neat picture! Obviously the same day, possibly on the return from parade grounds. Where did you see it?
Rodney

Yes it is from the same day, I don’t remember where I get it from I have it since long time in my files, there are few pictures from that day I think they could be found in this thread : http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php?topic=10530.0

[blessOTMA]

What I have noticed about the girls during this review is they receive alot of salutes of course ...but I never seen a photo of them returning one. Is that because their position, even though exalted,  is honorary...and  they don't have the right to return a salute?

[blessOTMA]

May  1916

[Holly]

[blessOTMA]

lovely, Holly thanks!

A friend and I were discussing the cardigan sweaters the girls are wearing in the photo of May 1916  and indeed alot afterwards. Seems to me while they look normal to us, these  were unusual at the time. I believe Chanel was just creating this look then! I also remember people complained about the girl's  casual dress, which as I say , looks fine to us 90 plus years later of course. My question is how did the girls acquire this look during war time in Russia? ...an interesting question . 

[Holly]

You're very welcome!

They were indeed unusual at the time. I have no idea what exactly brought about the sudden change in dress. I would suppose that these outfits were for casual, every day outings.
I remember reading that even the peasants the girls met during stops, even peasants that had children the girls played with, were shocked at how they dressed. If I remember correctly, they stated that not even peasants would wear such clothing.

Of course, they always dressed formally for the fitting occasions, but they wore these outfits on the Standart, at Stavka, and around Tsarskoe Selo.

[blessOTMA]

Exactly, Holly....I'm wondering how they acquired such  cutting edge fashion! As I say  Coco Chanel was just creating this look in France then. It seems amazing OTMA  could avail themselves of it this early . I'm sure they liked it as it was far more comfortable etc. But it would be fun to know how they hooked up with it.

If I remember correctly, they stated that not even peasants would wear such clothing.

Indeed ,it reminds me of the response French Impressionism had at first ...while of course we today  think it's great! And so here, the girls look more modern to us today  than they would if they were dressed more in keeping with general accepted ideas for royals and even young ladies in their time.

 

[blessOTMA]

Actually the girls were wearing them well before 1916...I believe this is 1914...and let me say the quality of the clothing is gorgeous and leaps out even in b/w photos ...but it's the birth of modern "sports wear" ...casual clothing

[Holly]

I agree with you, very obviously (and of course) they were of the best quality.

It's always noticeable in photographs that the girls wore different colors. Maria tends to wear the lighter version more often than the others. Anastasia seems to always wear the same color, which I would presume is a red color. I'm guessing that from the familiar gray tone that red gives off in B&W photographs and the fact that she always colored herself wearing red in hand-tinted photographs. That or it was her favorite color and she wished to be in red/pink all the time.

[blessOTMA]

I would agree with you about the red in her albums...it's a constant. I think most of the time it was red. Red can read darker than one thinks. One would not  think  Olga's Hussar uniform skirt was red...it looks black!. A deep red tends to look black , a bright red lighter reads : light  grey.
In this photo series  , I would say Marie : a buttery yellow, Olga : med  lilac ,AN : med red and TN : med blue ...just guesses of course.

What is interesting is perhaps in their own time these sweaters sets  looked like " at home " wear to many...rather than "street " clothes...and so it shocked them to see the girls out and about in them...of course they look like street clothes to us! We are use to tank tops and flip flops! lol! It's well the clothes were of the best quality  since they served them though the rest of their lives...they had other ones of course as well...in the May 1916 photo , while their hats are diffrent from each other  , it looks  like the sweaters were not diffrent colours , but similar

[voyageroffreedom]

Olga with family and royalties 1901:

[blessOTMA]

Looks like OTM and another little girl....but Minnie's father and Edward the 7th! remarkable ...I would say Denmark. It's sweet how the girls are holding hands. Nice and new to me thanks