Rare photographs of the royal family of Nicholas II. New color photographs of the royal family

X artist Valentin Serov became famous as a master of portraiture. Among his customers were representatives of the Romanov imperial dynasty - Serov painted more than ten portraits of august persons. We invite you to look at the paintings of the famous Russian portrait painter and get acquainted with five representatives of the royal family.

Portrait of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich as a child

Portrait of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich as a child. 1893

About the portrait of his son, painted by Valentin Serov, Alexander III said: “Mishenka is as alive.” The artist managed to capture a brief moment of elusive childhood: in the picture we see Mikhail growing up, almost a teenager. He is a little thoughtful, but there is still a childish dreaminess hidden in his gaze. The Tsarevich is dressed in the fashion of the late 19th century - in a white sailor suit. Thousands of ordinary boys also wore them at the turn of the century.

This painting is a study for a group portrait of the royal family. The painter was given only three sessions to work, during which Mikhail and his sisters Ksenia and Olga posed for him. The rest had to be written from memory. For Serov, this approach was unusual: he usually worked for a long time, several months in a row, paying special attention to detail.

The group portrait was first exhibited in 1894 in the village of Borki, Kharkov province. In honor of the rescue of the royal family in a train accident, a church and chapel were built here. At the celebrations of their consecration, a portrait of the family of Alexander III hung in a separate pavilion, but many spectators mistook it for an icon and stopped to cross themselves.

Today, the portrait of Mikhail Alexandrovich is kept in the State Russian Museum.

Portrait of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich

Portrait of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich. 1897

Portrait of Alexander III

Portrait of Alexander III. 1899

Valentin Serov wrote to Alexander III several times. The group portrait of the imperial family from 1893 was the only painting painted during the monarch’s lifetime. The appearance of Alexander III in the 1899 painting had to be recreated from memory. Valentin Serov also relied on photographs of the imperial photographer Sergei Levitsky.

In the painting, Alexander III looks both majestic and good-natured. He is depicted against the backdrop of Fredensborg Palace in Copenhagen, wearing the uniform of an honorary colonel of the Danish Royal Life Guards. This title was awarded to the Emperor by King Christian IX in 1879. Since then, during his visits to Denmark, Alexander III always wore an officer's uniform: a cocked hat with a blue and white plume and a scarlet ceremonial uniform. On it, in addition to the Russian highest awards, you can also see Danish ones: a blue ribbon, a star of the Order of the Elephant, a star and a cross of the Order of Danebrog.

The artist traveled to Denmark several times to make sketches from nature. One of the sergeants posed for him near the palace instead of the emperor. The original imperial portrait is kept in Copenhagen, in the officer fund of the Royal Life Guards.

Portrait of Emperor Nicholas II

Portrait of Emperor Nicholas II. 1900

The artist created a home portrait of Nicholas II, a gift to Alexandra Feodorovna, in just two meetings with the emperor. The original version of the painting has not survived: the revolutionaries who captured the Winter Palace ripped open the canvas with bayonets. However, Serov, having barely completed the portrait in 1900, immediately made a copy of it. He was worried about the fate of the painting because the Empress did not really like it. During the sessions, Alexandra Feodorovna closely watched the artist and generously gave advice on how to “correct” the face of Nicholas II in the portrait. In the end, Valentin Serov could not stand it, handed the empress a palette with brushes and invited her to finish the work herself.

The portrait of Nicholas II looks unfinished: it is painted with wide, free strokes without subtle light transitions, the details of the canvas are not worked out. But the execution of the film reflects the idea of Valentin Serov. The artist wanted to show first of all a person - tired at work, who came home after work. The canvas lacks the usual attributes of royal portraits - ceremonial interiors, ceremonial clothing, and highest awards. Nicholas II is depicted in the jacket of the Life Guards Regiment, which he wore every day.

The canvas is stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery.

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna's exit from Matins

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna's exit from Matins. No later than 1901

Typically, 19th-century artists created portrait drawings as studies for large paintings. But the watercolor and pencil works of Valentin Serov are independent works of art.

The portrait of Alexandra Feodorovna is made in three colors: black, white and red. The artist constructed the composition of the painting in such a way that the viewer looks at the image from the bottom up, because of this the empress seems more majestic. Passing by the servants, she distantly responds to their signs of attention. Using smooth lines, Valentin Serov drew the strict and sophisticated cut of her dress, the airy cape dropped from her shoulders. On the contrary, he depicted those around him with emphatically straight and broken lines, their faces are practically indistinguishable, and their figures are angular.

It was often said about Alexandra Fedorovna, a foreigner by birth, that her relationship with the court did not work out. During the ceremonies, the empress behaved with restraint: she was embarrassed to communicate with strangers. However, official events were an obligatory part of the life of the court. Nicholas II wrote about one of them in his diary: “At 2 o’clock in the Winter Palace the ladies’ steelyard began - 550 ladies! My dear Alix looked remarkably beautiful in Russian dress.” In those years the ceremony of kissing hands was called steelyard.

A drawing depicting Empress Alexandra Feodorovna can be seen in the State Russian Museum.

The Romanov family left their descendants a rich photographic heritage. The best photographers photographed the imperial family Russian Empire. On trips abroad, they always ordered photographic portraits from famous foreign artists. In the family of Nicholas II, everyone was passionate about photography.

In the photographic heritage of the Romanovs, many photographs are especially associated with the family of Nicholas II. The imperial family was portrayed by many famous photographers. What remains are studio photographs of outstanding masters of Russian photography G. Denyer, S. L. Levitsky, A. Pazetti, C. Bergamasco. While abroad, the royal family was photographed by famous foreign photographers: in Denmark - L. Danielson, M. Steen, G. Hansen, in Poland - L. Kowalski, in Germany - O. Skovranek, F. Telgman and others. When the Romanovs visited the cities of the Russian Empire, the photography was entrusted to the best city photographers: F. Orlov in Yalta, M. Mazur in Sevastopol, V. Barkanov in Tiflis, A. M. Ivanitsky in Kharkov, etc.

Emperor. (rosphoto.org)

Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna with their daughters. (rosphoto.org)

The largest collection of photographs of the last Russian emperor and his family was left by the photo studio “K. E. von Hahn and Co. "The atelier was opened in Tsarskoye Selo in 1887. It was owned by the wife of the assistant senior mechanical engineer Kazimira-Ludviga Evgenievna Jacobson, née Hahn. In 1891, Alexander Karlovich Yagelsky became a co-owner of the atelier, who since 1897 receives the exclusive right to photograph Emperor Nicholas II and his family.

A. K. Yagelsky photographed the emperor during diplomatic receptions and visits, on trips around the country, during military maneuvers and reviews, official court events, on vacation on the imperial yacht “Standart”, in Finnish skerries, in Livadia, while hunting on estates Belovezh also slept. These photographs rarely reached the public and formed the imperial family's own photographic archive. In 1911, A.K. Yagelsky received the honorary title of Photographer of His Majesty's Court.

Parade of troops of the Moscow garrison. Moscow. 1903. (rosphoto.org)

Yagelsky was also the only one who was allowed to film the royal family. From 1900 until his death in October 1916, he was the personal cameraman of Emperor Nicholas II and left a very significant film archive.

Rope tug. Finnish skerries. 1911. (rosphoto.org)

Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia. Tsarskoye Selo. 1903. (rosphoto.org)

The famous reportage photographer K.K. Bulla photographed Nicholas II a lot. In 1904, he received permission to photograph “views of the capital, as well as celebrations in the Supreme presence.” From the Main Headquarters of the War Ministry, Bulla had a certificate of permission to “take photographic photographs during maneuvers and exercises of the Guard troops and the St. Petersburg Military District,” as well as a special certificate from the Main Naval Staff, allowing to take photographs “during maneuvers, reviews, exercises, descents and laying ships and, in general, all events relating to marine life.”

The heir is Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich. 1911. (rosphoto.org)

The Romanovs themselves left many personal albums with photographs - the Emperor, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, all the children, including the heir, were passionate amateur photographers. Since Nicholas II got his first camera in 1896, he has never parted with it. Some of the albums were filled out by the emperor himself, pasting and signing photographs with his own hands. Each family member had personal photo albums, usually annually or for two or three years together.

The Emperor and Empress in the costumes of Russian tsars of the 17th century. (rosphoto.org)

Another category of the Romanovs’ photographic heritage is the photo albums of their close associates, those who, on duty, were with the emperor and his family on trips around the country and abroad, and especially during vacations. The Romanovs themselves, their personal photographer A.K. Yagelsky and the emperor’s associates took the largest number of family photographs on vacation, when the members of the august family were left to their own devices and less bound by the conventions of court etiquette. This close circle, which had the opportunity to take informal photographs of the family of Nicholas II, included large court officials, members of the emperor’s retinue, ladies-in-waiting, ladies of state, officers of the imperial yacht “Standard” and a number of other people.

Royal hunt in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. (rosphoto.org)

The fate of the photographic heritage of the Romanov family in Soviet Russia is quite complicated and bears its imprint tragic fate their owners. After the execution, documents and photographs of the Romanov house were transferred from archive to archive more than once. The photographic heritage is still insufficiently studied. We do not even know the approximate number of photographic objects in state repositories Russian Federation; It is also unknown what legacy has been preserved in the CIS countries and abroad.

Nicholas II in his office, 1900. (rosphoto.org)

Nicholas II is a controversial personality, historians speak very negatively about his rule of Russia, most people who know and analyze history are inclined to believe that the last All-Russian Emperor had little interest in politics, did not keep up with the times, slowed down the development of the country, was not a visionary ruler, was able to catch the current in time, did not keep his nose in the wind. And even then, when everything practically went to hell, dissatisfaction was already building not only among the lower classes, but also at the top, and even then Nicholas II was unable to draw any correct conclusions. He did not believe that his removal from governing the country was real; in fact, he was doomed to become the last autocrat in Rus'. But Nicholas II was an excellent family man. He should be, for example, a Grand Duke, not an emperor, and not delve into politics. Five children are no joke; raising them requires a lot of attention and effort. Nicholas II loved his wife for many years, he missed her in separation from her, and did not lose either physical or mental attraction to her even after many years of marriage.

I collected many photographs of Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna (nee Princess Victoria Alice Elena Louise Beatrice of Hesse-Darmstadt, daughter of Ludwig IV), their children: daughters Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, son Alexei.

This family loved to be photographed, and the shots turned out very beautiful, spiritual, and bright. Look at the attractive faces of the children of the last Russian Emperor. These girls did not know marriage, never met their lovers and could not know the happiness and sorrows of love. And they died a martyr's death. Although they were not guilty of anything. Many people died in those days. But this family was the most famous, the highest-ranking, and her death still haunts anyone, a black page in the history of Russia, the brutal murder of the royal family. The fate destined for these children was this: girls were born in turbulent times. Many people dream of being born in a palace, with a golden spoon in their mouth: to be princesses, princes, kings, queens, kings and queens. But how often was the life of blue-blooded people difficult? They were imprisoned, killed, poisoned, strangled, and very often their own people, close to the royals, destroyed and occupied the vacant throne, attracting with its limitless possibilities.

Alexander II was blown up by a Narodnaya Volya member, Paul II was killed by the conspirators, Peter III died under mysterious circumstances, Ivan VI was also destroyed, the list of these unfortunates can be continued for a very long time. And those who were not killed did not live long by today’s standards; they would either get sick or undermine their health while running the country. And it was not only in Russia that there was such a high mortality rate for royalty; there are countries where it was even more dangerous for reigning personalities. But all the same, everyone was always so zealous for the throne, and they pushed their children there at any cost. I wanted, although not for long, to live well, beautifully, go down in history, take advantage of all the benefits, live in luxury, be able to order slaves, decide the destinies of people and rule the country.

But Nicholas II never longed to be an emperor, but understood that being the ruler of the Russian Empire was his duty, his destiny, especially since he was a fatalist in everything.

Today we will not talk about politics, we will just look at photographs.