Tsarskoselskaya Restoration Workshop
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Thursday, March 25, 2021
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Alexandra's postcard letter to Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna, dated December 1915 or January 1916
Source:
State Historical Museum
The letter:
To dear Minny with loving Xmas greetings & blessings for 1916.
A kiss fr.
Alix.
Above: Alexandra. Photo courtesy of Ilya Grigoryev at lastromanovs on VK.
Above: Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna.
Sunday, March 14, 2021
Alexandra's letters to Nicholas, dated April 4, 1915, and Nicholas's telegrams and letter, dated April 4 and 5, 1915
Sources:
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.30000011396573&view=1up&seq=113
https://www.alexanderpalace.org/letters/april15.html
Above: Alexei.
The letters:
No. 55
Tsarskoe Selo, April 4-th 1915
My very own Treasure,
Once more you are leaving us, and I think with gladness, because the life you had here, all excepting the work in the garden — is more than trying and tiring. We have seen next to nothing of each other through my having been lain up, Full many a thing have I not had time to ask, and when together only late in the evening, half the thoughts have flown away again. God bless your journey my beloved One, and may it again bring success and encouragement to our troops. You will see a bit more I hope before you get to the Headquarters and should Nikolasha say any thing to Voyeikoy in form of a complaint, have it at once stopped and show that you are the master. Forgive me, precious One, but you know you are too kind and gentle — sometimes a good loud voice can do wonders, and a severe look — do my love, be more decided and sure of yourself — you know perfectly well what is right, and when you do not agree and are right, bring your opinion to the front and let it weigh against the rest. They must remember more who you are and that first they must turn to you. Your being charms every single one, but I want you to hold them by your brain and experience. Though Nikolasha is so highly placed, yet you are above him. The same thing shocked our Friend, as me too, that Nikolasha words his telegrams, answers to governors, etc. in your style — his ought to be more simple and humble and other things. — You think me a medlesome bore, but a woman feels and sees things sometimes clearer than my too humble sweetheart. Humility is God's greatest gift — but a Sovereign needs to show his will more often. Be more sure of yourself and go ahead — never fear, you won't say too much. — Dear old Fredericks, may all go well with him — I feel he goes for your cause as he alone can allow himself to say anything to Nikolasha. Grabbe will amuse you at domino and when N. P. is with you, I feel always quiet, as he is quite our own and nearer to you than the rest, and is young and not as heavy as Dmitri Sh. — That reminds me, what about Dmitri P. is he ever going to stick here?
Look what a letter, but it seems I have not talked to you simply for ages (and Ania imagines hourly we do)!
Perhaps you can find time to go to one of the hospitals at Bielostok as very many wounded pass there and see that Fredericks does not insist upon accompanying you upon bad roads, Feodorov must keep a severe watch over him. —
How lonely it will be without you, my Sunshine! Tho' I have the children — but lying without work now is difficult and I long to get back to the hospital. To-morrow the Dr. wont come, (unless I should feel worse) as he wishes to be at the funeral of a friend of his. — It's a rest not seeing poor Ania and hearing her grumbling.
You open the windows nicely in my compartment then yours won't be so stuffy. —
Sweetheart, you will find some flowers (kissed by me) upon your writingtable, it cheers up the compartment.
Goodbye and God bless you, Lovy my very Own dear One — I press you tenderly to my heart and kiss you all over and hold you tight, oh so tight.
Ever yr. very own wify
Alix.
--
No. 56
Tsarskoe Selo, April 4-th 1915
My own precious One,
A Feldjeger leaves this evening at 5, so I must write to you, tho' have no news to give. Thanks sweety for sending Baby back to rest with me, so I had to keep my tears back, not to grieve him — I got back into bed a he lies for half an hour near me. Then the girls returned. —
It is so hard every time — it wrenches at one's heart and leaves such ache and endless longing — Ortipo too feels sad, and jumps up at every sound and watches for you. Yes Deary, when one really loves — one indeed loves! Dreary weather too. I am looking through masses of postcards from soldiers — Ania sent me lovely red roses as goodbye from N. P. — they stand near my bed and smell too divinely, do thank him for his awfully kind thoughts and that I was very sad not to have been able to say goodbye to him. She gave him a letter for you, as wrote it late and he went straight to church from her. All the girls have gone to M. and A.'s hospital to the concert arranged by Marie's friend D. — Baby was going to play near the white tower with D.'s children. —
Each child brought me your message — ah lovy mine, I cry now like a big baby — and see your sweet, sad eyes, so full of love before me. —
Keep well, my treasure — wify is ever near you in thoughts and prayers. 1000 kisses. God bless and protect you and keep you from all harm.
Ever yr. very own old
Sunny
Nicholas's telegrams:
Telegram. Louga. 4 April, 1915
Hearty thanks for dear letter. I have changed the beginning of my programme; am first going to the Stavka and then to the two other places which I wrote down in your pocket-book. Am feeling splendid. I kiss all tenderly.
Nicky.
--
Telegram. Stavka. 5 April, 1915.
Hearty thanks for sweet letter with violets, and for the telegram. All is well. I shall stay here several days. I shall explain my plans in my letter. Kiss you tenderly.
Nicky.
Nicholas's letter:
Stavka. 5 April, 1915.
MY BELOVED SUNNY,
I thank you from the depth of my old loving heart for your two charming letters, the telegram and the flowers. I was so touched by them! I was feeling so sad and downhearted, leaving you not quite well, and remained in that state until I fell asleep.
On my way here, Voeikov informed me that it would be better to turn off from Vilna, as German aeroplanes were dropping bombs on the railway lines and the trains going through Bielostok, and that General Alexeiev was not in Sedletz! That is why we arrived here this morning at 9 o'clock. I had a long conversation with N.; then the usual Report, and [afterwards went] to church. He suggested [advised] that I should go as soon as possible to Przemysl and Lvov, as later it would be necessary to take certain measures in Galicia. Bobrinsky told me the same thing several days ago. I shall be accompanied by N., as it will be my first visit to the conquered area. Naturally, this visit will be of very short duration, [as] both local railway lines are blocked up with trains. After that I shall see Ivanov and Alexeiev and continue my journey to the South. I cannot yet ascertain the date, bat of course I shall inform you in good time.
It is quite interesting to spend a few days in this manner, and in some ways passes the bounds of the ordinary. Petiusha and Petia are here, and are both well. Old Fredericks has just had his talk with N. At dinner I shall be able to judge by the expression of their faces how this conversation has passed off. I had a good walk with my people; the wind blew hard, but the sun gave considerable warmth. The snow which had fallen during the night had thawed, the birds sang merrily in the wood, and my Life-Guard Cossacks were practising with their machine-guns, making a terrible noise. I went up to them on my way home and watched them.
Well, my love, I must finish. The courier is leaving now — at 6.30
Tenderly and most affectionately do I kiss you, my darling Wify, and the children, and remain
Unchangeably your devoted hubby,
Nicky.
God bless you!
Above: Nicholas and Alexandra. Photo courtesy of Ilya Grigoryev at lastromanovs on VK.
Above: Alexei.
Candy bowl chosen for the Maple Room, identical to original...
Source:
GMZ Tsarskoe Selo
"An early twentieth-century porcelain candy bowl by the Royal Copenhagen is purchase[d] by the Museum to replace a similar piece lost from the Alexander Palace.
Such a candy bowl with two swallows as handles stood among other decorative objects on a shelf of the corner sofa with a display cabinet in Empress Alexandra's Maple Drawing Room. It was not evacuated before the Nazi invasion of Russia in 1941 and vanished. According to pre-war inventory descriptions, the bowl was signed AP by Anna Pedersen, who was an animal sculptor and model designer at the Royal Porcelain Manufactory in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 1905.
The acquired bowl of 1905–22, purchased thanks to financial support from our Friends Society, bears the same signature. The painter's mark 102 on it belongs to M. Hansen, who worked at the Royal Copenhagen during 1897–1932. The oval-shaped bowl in pale-gray and white colours is decorated with underglaze polychrome painting typical for fine Danish porcelain of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The Danish candy bowl will be placed in the Maple Drawing Room after the restoration of Nicholas and Alexandra's rooms in the Alexander Palace is finished."
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Thursday, March 4, 2021
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Alexandra's letter to Xenia, dated March 3, 1918
Source:
Letters and writings of Nicholas II and his family on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=256856172725437&id=108838347527221
The letter:
3 March 1918
My darling little Chicken,
I kiss you firmly, and am with you in thought at your Mountain because of the misfortune which has befallen your Irina. May God help her. She herself is still such a child — what a trial to go through. Her little one will be her consolation. But I am sure that now you are suffering more, knowing your kind, gentle heart, which always grieves especially with suffering ones. God grant that you can be together and that she will return to you — it will be easier for her and for you. How much grief there is all around. And poor Vera and her Mother. Wherever you look, tears, tears. But I firmly believe that the time of suffering and trials is passing, that the sun will again shine over the long-suffering Motherland. After all, the Lord is merciful — he will save the Motherland, He will enlighten the foggy mind — he is not angry to the end. People have forgotten God — a year when the kingdom of evil rules everything — endure and believe a little more — when it seems to be the end of everything, then He will surely hear all the prayers. Suffering and trials were sent to Him — and does He not always give enough strength to endure anything? After all, He Himself showed us how to endure without murmuring and to suffer in innocence. My dear, I don't know how to write and say everything that I want — but you understand your old sister even without that. — Such joy when we receive letters from you — today from both you and Olga. What happiness that this little Tikhon came into the world. — How I would like to see her with him. Ours are healthy, out in the fresh air a lot — they described to you how we live. The days pass quickly — monotonously — everyone is busy, this is the only way we can live.
We shall also be singing during the service from now on (I don't know how it will come out). The children, Nagorny (who will also be a Reader — he read in Ts. as a boy), myself and the choir director. It is very sad not to be able to be at church — without the Liturgy. We want to fast for the 1st week. — we do not know whether it will be allowed. I have heard nothing from my own people for over a year. How is poor Motherdear? I kiss her very gently, as well as you and Olga. Christ be with you
Loving you tenderly,
Your Hen
We all think about how you live. It must be terribly difficult. We also had to part with 10 of our people. The soldiers found a long time ago that we have too many people in our house. — Now I am a real householder. Mr. G. I had to take everything into my own hands in order to finally establish order. Ilya especially helps — Valya, a bit less, Volkov as (illegible) 13 people. We have breakfast at 8:20. — it is terribly painful when you are unable to repay all the favours — people are so touching. — Kiss your poor Irina from us. — We all kiss everyone.
Above: Nicholas and Alexandra.
Above: Xenia.
AMAZINGLY SIMILAR VINTAGE J. BECKER PIANO FOUND FOR MAUVE BOUDOIR! + bench is upholstered!
Source:
Tsarskoselskaya Restoration Workshop
The old Mauve Boudoir piano for comparison (some photos courtesy of Ilya Grigoryev, the Russian State Archives and Laura Mabee):
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