Pictures of the Interiors as they were

[Cathy]

Thank you Joanna for all your valuable information, comprehensive research and providing the links. The Tsarselo.ru web site is fantastic. The pictures are amazing - for me, it is the first time that I have ever seen the right (left in Russia) wing.

[EmmyLee]

I didn't see a thread that this would fit in, so I'll put it up here.

Joanna pointed me in the direction of this fabulous photo showing the Russian Town and in the upper righthand corner, the AP. Until now, I've never seen an aerial shot of the palace from the front.

[blessOTMA]

Wow! Thank you! Amazing how close the roads are to the Palace on two sides!

[Sanochka]

I hadn't seen Russian Town from this perspective, either.  Being able to see the AP in the background really does make this picture.  Thank you for posting.

[EmmyLee]

I got this better scan of the Mauve Room and could make out the titles of three of the books in the upper right corner on the bookshelf (my scanner didn't get the third). They all say Baby's Souvenir, so I'm thinking they're probably baby books! How fun would it be to look through those? I wonder if there were two more just not visible on the bookshelf.

[Sarushka]

Nice. Where did you find it?

[Forum Admin]

The photo is from the Detskoye Selo Museum era (the Faberge is gone, and the things are re arranged a bit.).  Those books are almost certainly "memory books" for one each of the Grand Duchesses.

[EmmyLee]

Sarushka, it's in The Summer Palaces of the Romanovs: Treasures from Tsarskoye Selo by Emmanuel Decamp.

[EmmyLee]

I discovered that there is, apparently, an Alexander Palace Wiki. It had three photos I don't believe I've seen before. The first is of the mezzanine in the Maple Room.

[londo954]

The picture of the mezzanine and amazing!!!

[bongo]

Not sure if has been posted before but this Russian documentary on the palaces has vintage 1930s footage of the Alexander Palace: mostly N & A's bedroom with that absolutely hideous curtain & wall fabric. (around the 5 minute mark) But also their toilet. That's the horror of Revolutions. The public gets to probe one's most intimate spaces!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=7eG2lOd7apA

[Sanochka]

I discovered that there is, apparently, an Alexander Palace Wiki. It had three photos I don't believe I've seen before. The first is of the mezzanine in the Maple Room.

Nice photos, EmmyLee.  I wish they were in color, especially the one of the corner of the Formal Reception Room.  The two sculptural vases (one on the round table at center and the other on the console table at right) remind me of Southwestern Indian pottery I've got somewhere around the house.  

[Ortino]

I wanted to post these since I didn't see them mentioned/discussed elsewhere (full disclosure: the following two photos are from the Russian Imperial Family website) ...I'm fairly sure that these were taken in the Grand Duchesses' bathroom, which we have thus far seen very little of:





According to Yakovlev's description, the bathroom had a stenciled frieze of the sea with sailboats, flowers and plants. One can see elements of this in the photo of Marie. Yakovlev also mentions that there is a table in the middle of the room that records the height and weight of each child. The furniture that can been seen in the photos corresponds with that visible in this watercolor as well:



With this in mind, I think we can finally lay to rest the mystery of where Anastasia took her "selfie"--one can see the same table and chair set reflected in the mirror in the photo with Marie. The shoe, footrests, and linens(?) also all make sense in this context. I also just noticed that to Anastasia's right, one can see the outline of the bar that we know was suspended in the doorway of Olga and Tatiana's bedroom.

[Joanna]

Alexei Oreshinkov's wrote in his diary on March 9, 1930, Moscow:

9 марта (24 февраля) 1930 г
Интересен небольшой альбом домашних фотографий, снятых Ольгою или кем-то Царскосельский дворец берёт от нас чемодан с одеждой и другими вещами семьи Николая II, присланный несколько лет назад из Екатеринбурга и найденный в марте нынешнего года под лестницею; приехавшая из Царского, ныне Детского, села проверяла содержимое.

I read this as the suitcase with a small photo album, taken by Olga or someone else in the Alexander Palace, was found under the stairs in Ekaterinburg and sent to Detskoe Selo, and then to Moscow.

Am I correct with the grammar or was the suitcase sent from Tsarskoe to Ekaterinburg and then Moscow?

Joanna

[Inok Nikolai]

Alexei Oreshinkov's wrote in his diary on March 9, 1930, Moscow:

9 марта (24 февраля) 1930 г
Интересен небольшой альбом домашних фотографий, снятых Ольгою или кем-то Царскосельский дворец берёт от нас чемодан с одеждой и другими вещами семьи Николая II, присланный несколько лет назад из Екатеринбурга и найденный в марте нынешнего года под лестницею; приехавшая из Царского, ныне Детского, села проверяла содержимое.

I read this as the suitcase with a small photo album, taken by Olga or someone else in the Alexander Palace, was found under the stairs in Ekaterinburg and sent to Detskoe Selo, and then to Moscow.

Am I correct with the grammar or was the suitcase sent from Tsarskoe to Ekaterinburg and then Moscow?

Joanna

What, precisely, is the context of this diary entry?
Is this Oreshnikov the numismatist?

A rather literal translation:

"Interesting is the small album of family photos taken by Olga or by someone else. The Tsarskoe Selo Palace [i.e., someone from there] is taking from us a suitcase with clothes and other belongings of the family of Nicholas II which was sent several years ago from Ekaterinburg, and which in March of this year was found under the staircase [i.e., in Moscow]. The woman who came from Tsarkoe, now Detskoe, [Selo] inspected/verified the contents."