Personal Habits and Personal Style - Hair - Body #1

[Abby]

BeenaBobba, do you know of any pics you could post of Marie showing her teeth?

[Lanie]

Here are two I found.  There's another one, of Maria with Olga Alexandrovna, Olga and ANastasia I can't find right now.

[BeenaBobba]

BeenaBobba, do you know of any pics you could post of Marie showing her teeth?

Hi Abby,

Besides the two pictures Lanie posted, I have one more.  I'll scan it right now, so I should have it up in a few minutes or so.

God bless,

Jen

[BeenaBobba]

[Penny_Wilson]

The family probably didn't have great teeth compared to today's standards simply because fluoride wasn't used in toothpaste (or was it?).  I'm guessing the toothpaste used back then was sort of primitive.  Either way, they probably had pretty nice teeth by the standards of the day.

God bless,

Jennifer

One of my grandmothers was born in Northamptonshire in 1904, and she told me that when she was a child, a toothbrush and toothpaste was something that you got in your stocking at Christmas time -- sort of a curiosity/fun thing to get.  For every day teeth cleaning, they -- she, the family and her friends -- used baking soda applied with something called an orange stick.  Obviously, her family was not Imperial or even all that socially prominent outside of their immediate area, but they were quite wealthy yeoman farmers, with pretty fashionable clothes and household furnishings, and I know they had good health care, so I think they would have had decent dental care as well.  So I'd hazard a guess that the Romanovs probably had toothpaste and toothbrushes, though they might also have used baking soda...

Penny

[Forum Admin]

actually, Penny,
The Imperial Family had the best dentists available. Alexandra had very expensive dental work.  They did have toothbrushes and "tooth powder"...

[BeenaBobba]

actually, Penny,
The Imperial Family had the best dentists available. Alexandra had very expensive dental work.  They did have toothbrushes and "tooth powder"...

They probably had excellent dental care back at the turn of the century, but the toothpaste and technology wasn't nearly as advanced as it is today.  I found interesting stuff about the history of toothpaste.  You all can read it here:  

http://www.sadanet.co.za/dhw/history/toothpaste.html.

Apparently, people used borax powder back then.  Blech!  I love my minty fresh Crest!  

God bless,

Jennifer

[BeenaBobba]

Weren't toothbrushes found among their possessions at the Ipatiev House?

God bless,

Jen

[Annie]

Here is just a little anecdote about the family and dentists: In Lost Splendor, Yussoupov said that their dentist, who was also the IF's dentist (must have been some special guy!) had been sent to take care of the IF's teeth while they were in captivity (I forgot if this was a Tsarskoe Selo or Tobolsk and can't find the exact page) Upon returning, Felix said the next time the dentist came to their place, he told his mother, Zenaida, that Nicholas had relayed a message through him to her, saying "tell Princess Yussoupov she was right", meaning about Rasputin, and that they should have listened to her.

[ferngully]

i know the women wore perfume, but did they wear makeup as well? i am just curious

[Maria_Pavlovna]

Alexandra didn't allow any of her girls to wear make up, but maybe perfume.

[Johnny]

The girls did definitely use perfume. In fact they had their favorite fragrances. Wearing make up was not common among upper classes at that time. That was reserved for actresses on stage, and of course prostitutes. So it had really bad connotations. That's why most nineteenth century women in photographs look rather plain to us, because we with our modern eyes are not able to appreciate the beauty of a woman without make up. It was basically in the twenties with the drastic clothing revolution, that dresses got shorter, lighter and comfortable; corsets were abbandoned and women started using make up indiscriminately.

[Madal]

which were their favorite fragrances?

[Maria_Pavlovna]

Olga's favorite was "Rose Th'e" Tatiana's "Jasmin de Corse" Marie, who tried many scents, always come back to " Lilas" and Anastasia's " Violette".  

[Madal]

Thank you Maria_Pavlovna for OTMA's favorite fragrances.

Do you know which if their favorite fragances and flowers were the same?