Author Topic: Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives  (Read 48298 times)

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Gerjo

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Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives
« on: September 10, 2004, 02:19:35 PM »
In Camera and the Tsars, Charlotte mentioned a picture taken at the Standart of the IF with the Kaiser. The girl holding expensive dolls.

Who haves this picture?

Sarai_Porretta

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Re: Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2004, 02:37:03 PM »
I'm pretty sure this may be the picture in Nicholas and Alexandra: The Family Albums on pgs. 80-81. This picture was taken on the Standardt in June 1909, and shows the IF with Kaiser Wilhelm, and the girls are holding beautiful dolls that the Kaiser brought as gifts. Sorry, I don't have a scanner, but perhaps someone else can scan a copy of this picture?

atomic

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rskkiya

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Re: Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2004, 04:08:58 PM »
What a wonderful picture...its just too bad that the girls don't seem terribly happy with their new toys...Maybe they were getting too old for "dollies".

Its rather sweet though and a bit sad-- poor Kaiser Wilhelm always seemed liable to put his foot wrong when dealing with people. I wonder what they were all thinking at that moment ?

R.

Offline HerrKaiser

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Re: Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives
« Reply #4 on: October 21, 2004, 09:24:58 AM »
This is a wonderful picture! I suspect the children are not unhappy; rather the custom of the day was not to smile in photos. Hence, the slight smile on the Kaiser is a great surprise and one of the only warm smiles I have ever seen of William. Clearly, he was pleased with the occasion.
HerrKaiser

rskkiya

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Re: Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives
« Reply #5 on: October 21, 2004, 10:26:48 AM »
HerrK

Good point --  they might have all been very happy--
We may never know... :-/
R

Michelle

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Re: Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives
« Reply #6 on: October 21, 2004, 10:32:53 AM »
Okay, I don't understand why everyone scowled/frowned/pouted/looked p****ed off in old pictures like that!  Why did they do that?  Was it to look dignified?  Although that sounds really dumb considering many pics of old fashioned people are candid (especially the IF).

rskkiya

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Re: Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives
« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2004, 11:22:14 AM »
Michelle

  In the 1870s-1880s the art of taking a photo could take up to 5 minutes of complete stillness so -- many people had themselves held or braced in place -- and as a non expression was often easier to hold than a smile, this became standard ...
   By the time of this photo however-- perhaps the non expression had been generally accepted as the best look.
   Or they might not have wanted to smile for their own reasons ...
R
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by rskkiya »

Sarai_Porretta

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Re: Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2004, 11:24:19 AM »
Quote
Okay, I don't understand why everyone scowled/frowned/pouted/looked p****ed off in old pictures like that!  Why did they do that?  Was it to look dignified?  Although that sounds really dumb considering many pics of old fashioned people are candid (especially the IF).


Michelle,
In early photographs, say prior to the 1890's, there was apparently a long exposure time, so pictures took a longer time to take. Therefore, most people couldn't bother to hold their smiles for as long as it took and it was just easier to remain serious. I don't know much about photography, but this is a common explanation given to this question.

With regards to candid and private photographs, I think that the majority of the pictures of the IF show them smiling, with the exception of Alexandra, whose smile was rare. If they happened not to be smiling, I can only guess that they just didn't feel like smiling because they were either in no mood to be photographed or wanted to be captured in a serious mood. Aside from the IF, other people perhaps just didn't like their own smiles and thought they looked more attractive for the camera with a serious face.

On official photographs, it was always not considered "dignified" to smile. That was just the attitude of the day, strange as it may seem nowadays, when people are encouraged to smile in order to look friendly.

sushismom

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Re: Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2004, 01:40:59 PM »
Or perhaps they're just upset at having to take a picture with the Kaiser.

Janet_W.

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Re: Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2004, 03:38:21 PM »
It has been noted that of the children, only Anastasia seemed to enjoy visits with the Kaiser . . . apparently he enjoyed her waggishness, and she enjoyed playing to his enjoyment.

I think the children's glumness in this photograph is in reaction to the Kaiser's personality . . . a bit too jolly, a bit too over-familiar. And the children also must have picked up, from their parents, that the Kaiser was something of a persona non grata. Therefore, accepting beautiful dolls from him was very much a double-edged sword.

So, to quote a cliche, "the camera does not lie"!
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by Janet_W. »

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Re: Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives
« Reply #11 on: December 12, 2004, 07:57:10 AM »
MF & her family made yearly trips to her homeland of Denmark, and I have read that AIII enjoyed these trips because it was a chance for him to totally relax and get away from his duties. How did AF feel about these trips once she married Nicholas? Did she resent having to go or did she enjoy it because it was an informal family gathering?

Offline LisaDavidson

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Re: Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives
« Reply #12 on: December 12, 2004, 11:26:07 AM »
I'm not sure they went all the time with MF after their marriage. They had family to see in Darmstadt as well as the Danish RF. I would imagine the annual visits tapered off a bit as their family grew.

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Re: Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives
« Reply #13 on: December 12, 2004, 01:01:16 PM »
N&A went very few times after their marriage. A good part had to do with the fact that all the families were growing and once Queen Louise died it began to taper off. The final death knell seemed to be when Christian IX died and the next Queen Louise 'Aunt Swan' became consort. She apparently didn't care much for the get-togethers and they gradually ceased. I think that was part of the reason Queen Alexandra and MF purchased Hvidore--to have a place in Denmark to gather. Still, I don't think Alix enjoyed them much at all to begin with. The goofy pranks and jokes and basically the juvenile behaviors didn't mesh well with her personality I wouldn't think.
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Offline AGRBear

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Re: Romanovs and Relationship With/Visits To Foreign Relatives
« Reply #14 on: July 10, 2005, 04:03:31 PM »
RealAnastasia has sent me some photographs of the IF traveling outside of Russia.

The first collection is about a trip to France.





Does anyone have any comments about these photos?  Year?
Why they were in France?

There are others that RealAnastasia has sent me which I'll post when I have time.

Perhaps you'd like to add your own photos of the IF on other visits to France an other places.

AGRBear
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by AGRBear »
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