Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, discussion and pictures Part 2

[Marc]

I would bet that that is Alice...

[PAVLOV]

What has always facinated me about Olga and Michael, is how different they were to their other siblings.
They both married non royals, and appeared to be completely unpretentious. Olga moved to Canada, and lived in a little house, painted, and worked very hard at surviving. Michael as well, lived in a very ordinary house with Natasha in Gatchina.
I think perhaps they inherited their fathers love of a simple life, and dislike of pomp and ceremony.

Xenia, on the other hand, remained fairly close to her Royal connections, and lived at Wilderness House close to Hampton Court, which was a "grace and favour" property and given to her by George V . I read somewhere that she was also a fairly regular guest of the Royal Family.
Perhaps it was harder for her to let go of her previous life, or accept that her previous life was gone. I think she was much more "Royal" than her brother and sister.   

Does anyone know what Olga's relationship was with her sister ? They dont appear to have seen each other after Olga moved to Canada. Perhaps there was some sort of disagreement between them, I would imagine that in a family which went through so much trauma, emotions would perhaps have been a bit strained, at the best of times.       

[Alixz]

It may be just me or the styles of the times, but I have always seen a resemblance between Olga Alexandrovna (bottom photo) and Eleanor Roosevelt (top photo)  when they were of an age.  In fact at that time, I think they were both very beautiful.  Even as life and hardship changed them (in much different ways, of course) they both were still very beautiful as older women.

Interestingly enough, neither was happy with the position she was born into and both preferred to work with the poor and the helpless rather than live off of her inheritance. (Of course, Olga didn't have much of a choice.)  But both were under appreciated as children and also as young women.  Both lost her father at a young age.

Eliot Roosevelt (TR's brother) was killed in a carriage accident and, of course, Alexander III died of nephritis at age 49.

Olga was subject to her mother's whims and Eleanor was subject to her mother in law's.  Sarah Delano Roosevelt was a challenge.  She made Eleanor and Franklin wait two years to announce their engagement let alone be engaged.

Neither Olga nor Eleanor was stuffy nor unapproachable and both are remembered for being "simple and unaffected" as QV would say.

[Alixz]

Olga was born on June 13, 1882.

Eleanor was born on October 11, 1884

Olga's father died in 1894.  She was 12

Eleanor's father died in 1894.  She was 10

[Alixz]

Olga died in 1960 at age 78.

Eleanore died in 1962 at age 78.

[Romanov_fan]

Interesting comparison- I'm no expert on Eleanor Roosevelt ( I'm bored by American history), in fact I know little about her, but I guess I don't see the comparison to Olga A. Perhaps the similarities you see might be seen by someone who knows more about Eleanor though.

[Alixz]

I am working on more comparisons.  I have other pictures and other dates and life coincidences to add.

This has been such a busy week.

But I have a lot more.

It is too bad that American History bores so many.  I don't know where you are from, but I know that here in the US a lot of boredom comes from the curriculum and the way that teachers present it.

For some reason every year starts with the Native peoples and then moves on to the European explorers.  We get through the colonization of the Americas and possibly through the Revolution and maybe the Civil War.  We hardly ever get to the Great War or WWII.  Anything after that is current events.  (not to me, I lived through a lot of it) but to the school systems.

American History has its 'royalty" and its magnificence.  The marriages of the debutantes from the Gilded Age to the princes and dukes of Europe is pretty fascinating.  Jenny Jerome married Randolph Churchill and was Winston's mother.

The Van der Bilts married into UK minor royalty and the Astors even became UK minor royalty.

Try reading Poor Little Gloria - Happy at Last the biography of Gloria Van der Bilt (who by the way is Anderson Cooper's mother) and you will see the pressure to marry a "title".

I find Theodore Roosevelt and Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Roosevelt to be most fascinating people.  Anna Eleanor's husband Franklin, on the other hand was too much of a politician for me.

[Romanov_fan]

I'm from the US. I actually am interested in the Vanderbilts- have read about them, including Consuelo, who married into the British aristocracy. I like the Gilded Age of American history. I've read a little about Jenny Jerome. I actually once read a bio of Alice Roosevelt, Theodore's daughter, and was interested enough to read more, but never got around to it. I guess the rest of American history bores me, but I agree with you, it's the way it's presented.

[Alixz]

By the way for those of you who don't know:

Anderson Cooper is an anchor/reporter for CNN and hosts the show AC360 every night at 10PM EST.

I will get back to my comparison of Olga and Anna Eleanor soon.

[Carolath Habsburg]

i ve only  seen this one of Tikhon

[Ally Kumari]

I wonder if there are paintings of Olga's children ?

Olga´s sons under Christmas tree

[Ally Kumari]

Two well known, but in better quality than usual

[Romanov_fan]

What has always facinated me about Olga and Michael, is how different they were to their other siblings.
They both married non royals, and appeared to be completely unpretentious. Olga moved to Canada, and lived in a little house, painted, and worked very hard at surviving. Michael as well, lived in a very ordinary house with Natasha in Gatchina.
I think perhaps they inherited their fathers love of a simple life, and dislike of pomp and ceremony.

Xenia, on the other hand, remained fairly close to her Royal connections, and lived at Wilderness House close to Hampton Court, which was a "grace and favour" property and given to her by George V . I read somewhere that she was also a fairly regular guest of the Royal Family.
Perhaps it was harder for her to let go of her previous life, or accept that her previous life was gone. I think she was much more "Royal" than her brother and sister.   

Does anyone know what Olga's relationship was with her sister ? They dont appear to have seen each other after Olga moved to Canada. Perhaps there was some sort of disagreement between them, I would imagine that in a family which went through so much trauma, emotions would perhaps have been a bit strained, at the best of times.       

Have you ever read Xenia by Coryne Hall? It might answer your question. I did read it, but don't own it anymore ( gave it somebody) but I believe it may have mentioned Xenia's relationship with Olga. Olga was younger than her siblings, so there was an age gap between Xenia and Olga, which may have affected their relationship. I agree Olga was down to earth, but she did early on agree to an arranged marriage, so at one time she was royal enough to go along with that, although I think she was also young and confused. Michael fell in love with a royal cousin and wished to marry her ( Ducky's sister Beatrice) but they were first cousins so under the rules of the Russian Orthodox church they could not marry. So I'm not sure Micheal esp was less '' Royal'' than Xenia, it was just that after both Micheal and Olga wed commoners, their lives took them ever more away from royal circles, especially in exile with regards to Olga. So it may not have been they were less inherently '' Royal'' it's just their lives took them in different directions. Also, informality was very prized in the Danish Royal family of MF ( who was raised in very simple circumstances for a Royal, despite her later rank) so it wasn't just from Alexander III that the informality thing came.

[Olga Maria]

Seeing her works, she indeed has a very talented pair of hands and brain to imagine what she want to paint.
Absolutely correct eyesight!
Who was her most favorite niece/nephew?

[Svetabel]

Who was her most favorite niece/nephew?

GDss Anastasia.