Anna Aleksandrovna Vyrubova (1884-1964), Part 2

[PAVLOV]

Could it be that Alexandra and Anja destroyed their correspondence at the same time ? Alexandra burned all the correspondence from her family and friends prior to 1914 in the fireplace of the red drawing room at the Alexander Palace in March 1917, even her letters from Queen Victoria were burnt. The letters from the beginning of the war she kept, as she thought these would prove that she was not a German spy and guilty of treason.
I think all Anna's letters at Tsarskoe  were burned at the same time as Alexandra's. She was staying in the palace sickroom at the time, as she was ill. So it makes sense that perhaps they decided to destoy thier correspondence at the same time. Why would Alexandra destoy her letters from Anna,and Anna not hers from the Empress ? Perhaps this explains the missing correspondence.

She left the Palace after Kerensky's first visit in April 1917, and hardly had enough time to pack her belongings. She left in the same motorcar with Lili Dehn. ( Much to the relief of Baroness Buxhoeveden, who I dont think liked Anna very much).
Alexandra stood in the doorway as the motorcar drove off into the storm that was raging outside. They never saw each other again.

How she managed to get any of her belongings out of her house across the street, and out of the country, is anyones guess. She was sent to the St P & P Fortress very soon afterwards, and remained there untill late in the summer of 1917. So someone else must have arranged it.
If one looks at the photographs of the interior of the house, she had a lot of things. The walls were covered in pictures, and the tables were covered with small kitschy objects. Probably gifts from the children.
 
I Guess it will remain a mystery.   
 

[morvilaRomanov]

VERY INTERESTING...

I DIDN'T KNOW THESE THINGS...

[Sarushka]

Could it be that Alexandra and Anja destroyed their correspondence at the same time ?

I'm doubtful. Vyrubova was stranded at the Alexander Palace in early 1917, first due to illness and later under house arrest; it doesn't seem logical for her to have had access to her collected correspondence during that time. As you point out, she also had no opportunity to collect her belongings from home when she was removed from the AP and incarcerated in the Petropavlovsky fortress.

[Douglas]

Here is a larger version of Anna's parlor at her home in Tsarskoeselo.



Anna and Olga


Anna and Empress in the Mauve Room, AP.

[Douglas]

Anna at Livadia


Anna at the Alexander palace


The Empress - the companion photo

[PAVLOV]

Thank you for posting these amazing pictures. I have never seen them before. The balcony pictures are wonderful, and gives one a perspective of the balcony. There is no furniture, which is strange. One therefore presumes that the furniture was only placed outside when the balcony was used by the family.

One thing though, the photograph of the Mauve Room. The wallpaper. Is it the same as the bedroom ? Did both rooms have the same paper and curtains ? 
That looks suspiciously like a brass bed in the background. Also there are so many icons on the wall. Could this be the bedroom ?     

[Ally Kumari]

The Mauve room in the picture is actually Imperial bedroom.

[Douglas]

Yes, that photo is the Imperial Bedroom.  Thank you Pavlov and Ally for the correction.  I don't know what I was thinking, if anything...;-))

[Kalafrana]

Referring to the photograph in Post 91

Miek said:
'I think the men are wearing the uniform of the Corps des Pages for that is where the Prince was studying while in St. Petersburg.'

I think in fact that what they are wearing is hussar uniform. According to the wiki article on Prince Chakrabongse (if I've spelled that right!), the Prince was commissioned into 'a hussar regiment' on leaving the Corps des Pages, and the photograph in wiki shows him in the same hussar-type uniform as in Post 91.

Ann

[Nicola De Valeron]

Ann, good eye!

I can add just for the clarity, that this is the photo from same photosession, that the other big number of photos with my beloved Major General Voeikov, first President of the Russian Olympic Committee, big manufacturer and the head of His Majesty's Guards Hussar Regiment from 1907 to 1913, and with other Officers. Anna Vyrubova, as far as I know, was familiar with Major General Voeikov (in addition to other hundreds of stuff, court and famous people;)).

As to the Prince Chakrabongse, he served exactly in His Majesty's Guards Hussar Regiment, including in the times of Voeikov's rule. Here is a good quality photo, where Prince Chakrabongse (standing third from the right), Vyrubova and Voeikov (short bald man rightmost) are together. This photo is from the http://www.pushkin-history.ru and was taken likely in the Voeikov's house.

[Kalafrana]

Nicola

Many thanks. I wondered about HM Hussar Guards, but on a black and white photograph it is difficult to tell whether the tunic is red or not!

Ann

[rosieposie]

Thanks for a wonderful thread.   Just wondering how did she offically met Alix?  A curious question.

[PAVLOV]

 I am probably repeating was has already been posted, but here is the answer to your question, Rosieposie.

Anna Vyrubova, was the daughter of Alexander Taneyev, a popular composer of the time. He was also previously head of the Imperial Chancellery. Her mother was a Tolstoy. Her family was therefore part of Russian High Society. So it was natural that they would come into contact with the Royal family.They owned a country house on the Moskva River, quite close to Illinskoe, the country house of Grand DuKe Serge and his wife Elizabeth. She was the tsarina's sister.

She first met the Tsarina at her fathers house in 1901 I think, and during one of the Tsarina's subsequent visits later in the same year, for a second time.
This was during an epidemic of typhoid and Anna was in hospital. The Tsarina remembered her, and visited her.
When recovered, she was invited to the Alexander Palace for tea. Their friendship was cemented when Empress Alexandra discovered that she could play the piano very well.

After this visit Anna developed a sort of reverence for the Tsarina, and well, the rest is history.
     

[Douglas]

Well stated Pavlov and another reason that the Empress was very fond of Anna was because she was very uncritical of the Imperial family.  The Empress was often put off by the official ladies-in-waiting because of their hauty and often critical attitude. 

Anna did not put on aires of being highborn as did most of the courtiers of the official court. She loved the Empress and the children for who they were as people and not because they were royals.

[rosieposie]

Thanks for that  :-)  Another new piece of info to file away in my mind