Marie Feodorovna, her youthful features & the ageing process

[Romanov_fan]

Yes, and the coronation photos of  Queen Alexandra, Minnie's sister ( for her husband's coronation) were also touched up, as demonstrated in another thread. Still, they were very young looking despite the retouching makes them look very very young.

[vivrosendahl]

Some of you have commented on the slim figure and the youthful looks of Marie/Dagmar. The pictures I've seen of
her puzzle me as far as the ageing process is concerned! There are photos, official as well as private from the turn
of the century, in which she still looks young, with no detectable signs of gravity setting in; for instance
there's the well known picture from the fancy dress ball in 1903. Then there's the picture of her playing cards with
her sisters (Alexandra and Thyra) and her father. This was obviously taken before 1906, when King Christian IX died.
However in this photo she looks like an elderly lady with sagging features. No wonder really, considering that she
was approaching sixty and had suffered her fair share of losses at the time!   

Does anyone know when Empress Marie's age actually began catching up with the her? Or if some of the
photos have been retouched?

I know that she went downhill pretty quickly after 1920. However that's a different story altogether!   

 
Thank you!
Viv

[kmerov]

Hi Viv. I think that the main reason for her different looks is due to retouching the pictures. So it's a bit hard to tell when her aging really began catching up on her, but I think that the card playing picture is a good indication on how she looked in the beginning of the century. The fancy dress ball 1903 picture is in fact a picture of another costume ball that, as  I remember it, took place about 20 years prior to the famous 1903 ball.
But of course many people around MF commented on how youthfull she still looked and acted when she was in her fifties, so there must be something to it!

[Belochka]

Does anyone know when Empress Marie's age actually began catching up with the her? Or if some of the
photos have been retouched?

I know that she went downhill pretty quickly after 1920. However that's a different story altogether!   

 
Thank you!
Viv

Indeed it does appear that after she left Russia, the trauma that she had experienced may have played apart in her aging rapidly. There is one photograph of her getting out of her vehicle, assisted by her loyal cossack Yashik, where she appeared rather frail. It is nevertheless a touching image of a grand lady.

Margarita

[lexi4]

Margarita,
Would it be possible for you to post that photo?

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi,

That picture was taken in 1925 after her sister died.  Minnie is attending a memorial service at the Russian Orthodox Church in Copenhagen for Alexandra.  You will notice that she's all dressed in black velvet.
Also, you may notice that she looks a little surprised at having her picture taken.
I heard a story, years ago from a Danish friend, that she asked her Cossack at seeing the man with something in his hand pointed at her, "Assassins?"..... "No, Your Majesty, photographers." --- "Worse!", replied MF....  Funny, if it's true!!!!!

Larry

[vivrosendahl]

Hi Viv. I think that the main reason for her different looks is due to retouching the pictures. So it's a bit hard to tell when her aging really began catching up on her, but I think that the card playing picture is a good indication on how she looked in the beginning of the century. The fancy dress ball 1903 picture is in fact a picture of another costume ball that, as  I remember it, took place about 20 years prior to the famous 1903 ball.

Hi kmerov and thanks for the information! That explains it. I thought that the socalled 1903 costume ball photo was too
good to be true!
Another example!: In the "pictures of MF and her grandchildren " thread karlandzita posted a photo of MF with Olga
Nicholaievna (post #48). She looks very young for a 48-year old (or thereabouts) and could give the US actress Joan Rivers a good run
for her money  !

Viv
 

[kmerov]

Hi Viv. You are welcome! Yes, she does look young in the picture with Olga, and I think that she in generel looked and carried herself as more youthful then her actually years.l

A picture from the 1880-ies (this would probably be around the same time as the picture of her in a costume)


And a picture from around 1910 (my guess) with Prince Viggo and Princess Margrethe, when she would have been in her early 60-ties.

[kmerov]

Margarita,
Would it be possible for you to post that photo?

Here is the picture I think  Belochka mentioned in her post.



And a close up!

[bell_the_cat]

I  think she started to age at the beginning of the 1890s unlike her elder sister. In the untouched 1896 pictures she looks pretty rough, to be quite honest!

I think she kept the illusion going by sending out old signed photos of herself (e.g. Merry Xmas 1900!) 

[royal_netherlands]

 
 
 
 
 
A few of ''Minny'' in diffrent age categories.
the third one proves ''Minny'' is still in good condision, she is going fore a ride on her bike.


RN

[royal_netherlands]

Another (wellknown) pictures of the Dowager Empress with her Sister Queen Alexandra and her English Niece ''Toria''.
In this picture ''Alix'' looks very frail (and a bit weak ) it looks like she is supported by her daughter and sister.
The picture was taken in 1923 visiting the Royal Air Force Pageant at Hendon.
 
And the two sisters together at older age.

RN

[dmitri]

Well age catches up with us all. Maria may have lost some of her beauty, but she remained a formidable lady. How wonderful it would have been to have known her. Certainly as an older woman she was far more beautiful than her poor unmarried niece Princess Victoria. Only her mother could have loved her surely.

[Eric_Lowe]

yes...Dagmar lost her beauty but gained in dignity. 

[royal_netherlands]

Hi,

That picture was taken in 1925 after her sister died.  Minnie is attending a memorial service at the Russian Orthodox Church in Copenhagen for Alexandra.  You will notice that she's all dressed in black velvet.
Also, you may notice that she looks a little surprised at having her picture taken.
I heard a story, years ago from a Danish friend, that she asked her Cossack at seeing the man with something in his hand pointed at her, "Assassins?"..... "No, Your Majesty, photographers." --- "Worse!", replied MF....  Funny, if it's true!!!!!

Larry

What a great story!!! Here is another close-up of the picture kmerov send, where the grand-lady is getting out of her car.

RN