Costume Ball 1903

[Lisa]

Does anyone   know why we never see the photos of Dagmar and of his girl Olga in Russian costume for the ball in the winter palace of February 1903? I bought a re-impression of the book of 1903, Dagmar there is in a very small watercolor, but not any Olga.  


Please help me with your vast knowledge!!!

[elisa_1872]

Lisa:)

May i ask where you got a reprint of the costume ball book? I've searched for one for a long time

I have a photo of the Empress Marie from the costume ball, in the same book is a photo of the whole gathering of court guests - perhaps one can make out Grand Duchess Olga? The photo is quite small, but one could try anyway The book is "Tsar, the lost world of Nicholas and Alexandra" by Peter Kurth.

Best wishes,
Elisa

[Lisa]

Thank you Elisa,

but I already have the Kurth's book.

Nevertheless I can't find Olga Alexandrovna on the photo or Dagmar ...

[Sarai_Porretta]

Sorry Lisa, the website I found the picture on said it was from the 1903 ball and I assumed it was correct. :-/

Well, it's a nice picture of Marie in costume nevertheless, for others to enjoy. I will try to look in my books when I get home tonight to see if I can find any pictures of Olga and Marie from the 1903 ball for you.

[Lisa]

Dear Elisa,
I completely forgot to say you where I found my book!  I bought it on a Russian site of which here the address.  

http://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/1537940/

If you do not speak Russian here the address of the edition house

http://ball.russianantique.com/

I hope that you will be able  to buy it, even if it is very expensive for this is a  true merveille,un collection object!  
Did you read my personal message?  

[Sarai_Porretta]

Lisa,
As promised, I looked through the books that I have but was unable to find a picture of either Marie or Olga in costume from the 1903 ball. Peter Kurth's book, mentioned by Elisa above, has that same picture of Marie in costume that I linked to previously and it makes it look like that is indeed a photo from the 1903 ball, as she is included in that costume amongst several other guests from that same ball. However, you say that is not really accurate, so I guess Kurth got it wrong too. It can be rather confusing then.  

[elisa_1872]

Lisa!

Hi! Thanks very very much for the infos about the costume ball book!! I sent you a copy of the one in my book that also said 1903, but it seems this book got the date wrong too! What a shame! I wonder, do you have the memoirs of Olga Alexandrowna? I heard it has many pictures, perhaps there might be one from the ball?

I want to save up for that book now! Many thanks again for the great link.

Best wishes Lisa!
Elisa

[Sarai_Porretta]

Lisa!
I wonder, do you have the memoirs of Olga Alexandrowna? I heard it has many pictures, perhaps there might be one from the ball?

Elisa,
If by Olga's memoirs you mean the book The Last Grand Duchess by Ian Vorres, I can tell you that I own that book and looked through it last night hoping to find a picture of Olga from the ball, but alas, there isn't one.  

[HRHLaurie1894]

Thanks Lisa for the website for the book on the "Costume Ball of 1903".  That is one that I have to own!!

[Lisa]

Thank you the girls for your responses!  
But don't you  think  that, maybe, Olga didn't  participate in the ball?  

[Greg_King]

I'm not sure about Olga Alexandrovna being there-I've never seen a reference to her, though in Vorres she makes reference to Alix's costume and to Michael, so who knows?  I've got some kind of book round here with everyone and their costumes but wouldn't know where to find it!

As to the Dowager Empress, however, she did not attend the first night, then later attended when the ball was given in a slightly varied form a few nights later; she did not wear any costume though-of that I'm quite certain, as numerous books make reference to this-the second ball was repeated specifically so that she could see it, and it's this second ball that Michael Alexandrovich attended.

Greg King

[Lisa]

Thank-you, Greg, for these very useful precisions and lighting up!  

[elisa_1872]

Sarai!

Thanks for telling me about the Olga book! It is indeed the same one, and what a shame, my copy hasn't arrived yet, and i wondered if a photo might be in there..

Thanks to Mr King for the great informations!

Elisa

[elisa_1872]

Lisa,

In the book "Toys of the Tsar's Children" is the photo of a painting of Olga that is quite rare, i wonder if it appeared in any other book, im not sure. It was painted in 1908, and shows Olga in a red hat, holding what seems to be a riding habit. The artist is in Russian. The photo is on Page 13. Can anyone else work out the name of the artist? It seems to me to be something like Shchtemver, or such like

Elisa

[Lisa]

Dear Elisa,
Unfortunately, I do not possess this book... someone could  post this portrait? that interests me a lot!