delicateflowers-of-the-past - Tumblr blog

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Pierre Gilliard | The Grand-Duchesses were charming - the picture of freshness and health. It would have been difficult to find four sisters with characters more dissimilar and yet so perfectly blended in an affection which did not exclude personal independence, and, in spite of contrasting temperaments, kept them a most united family. With the initials of their Christian names they had formed a composite Christian name, Otma, and under this common signature they frequently gave their presents or sent letters written by one of them on behalf of all.

Count Alexander Grabbe | Tsarevich Aleksei Nikolaievich was an extremely handsome boy. He was svelte, elegant, intelligent, and had unusual presence of mind. He possessed, moreover, other winning qualities : a warm, happy disposition, and a generous nature which made him eager to be of help and enabled him quickly to establish rapport with others. The Imperial family unanimously considered Alexis their favorite, and he responded to his parents’ and sisters’ love with equal tenderness and affection.

Baroness Sophie Buxhoveden | From an early age the children came down to luncheon with their parents, even if there were guests present in addition to the members of the Household. […] They were perfectly at ease with their parents, looking upon them, not only as parents, but as delightful companions. When they grew up, they laughed and joked with them, the Empress joining in when the Emperor teased his daughters.

Gleb Botkin | The courage and unselfishness they displayed were indeed remarkable. My father marveled at the exhibition of the cheerfulness - so often an assumed one - by which they strove to help and cheer their parents. ‘Every time the Emperor enters the dining room with a sad expression on his face,’ my father told me, ‘The Grand Duchesses push each other with their elbows and whisper: “Papa is sad today. We must cheer him up.” And so they proceed to do. They begin to laugh, to tell fine stories, and, in a few minutes, His Majesty begins to smile.

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana and Maria Nikolaevna of Russia, 1900

Original source  

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Do you do requests?

Hi! Yes I do :)

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia, 1914

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

‘We know little about this great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. We have seen pictures of her sitting with her sisters, standing alone in Court dress, or on horseback in the uniform of her regiment. We have heard details of her life, of her devotion to her sisters, her parents, her little brother, but few know that her mentality, her intelligence, her gifts, would have made her a remarkable personality, had she lived.’  Meriel Buchanan

Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, 1910. (x)

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (1895-1918) photographed sitting on a windowsill in 1913 and 1917. 

Taken with four years in between, the tone of these photographs are quite distinctive, both matching with the overall mood of the year it was taken. The first photograph, Olga is sitting elegant and poised against a calm backdrop.  The year 1913 was an important and sacred year for Olga and her family as it celebrated 300 years of Romanov rule. It was also the last year of true peace before the world erupted into war the following year. The second photograph’s mood has dramatically changed to melancholic. Tiredness and sadness can be seen in Olga’s face. In 1917, her father abdicated and her family were put under house arrest. The bars attached to the window originally installed for safety can now be viewed as prison bars.

In 1918, Olga would be brutally murdered with her family in the cellar basement of Ipatiev House.

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Update: I have officially started college so my posts are going to be less frequent. I’ll post whenever I have time so stay safe everyone!

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Remini is awkward with the quality of enhancements, especially when trying to enhance things that are low quality to begin with. Most of them don’t look good, they look blurry and clunky.

I agree! that’s why I almost try and find the highest quality of the chosen photo. Even if I have the highest version and it still doesn’t come out right, I just don’t bother. But thanks for your opinion! 

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana Nikolaevna Romanov as nurses during WW1 in 1914.

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Need your opinions!

Hey guys! so I’ve started a little project a month ago I would really like to know your opinions on this! Ever since discovering the app Remini I’ve been able to enhance photos of the Imperial family and I’ve been really enjoying seeing their photos become higher quality. So I was thinking that maybe I could enhance all of (or 99%) their formal portraits, starting from Nicholas and Alexandra’s childhood portraits to OTMA’s last portraits taken in 1916. Then I will upload them to my enhanced folder on mega and you guys will be able to download them and use them for your colouring/edit resources. 

For me personally besides them being enhanced it will also just be great for simply finding a certain formal portrait for posting or editing. As it can become time consuming looking for a specific portrait in the best quality possible. I have some years completely finished and have included source lists in the folders of where I found them. 

Here are three examples: 

So would anyone here be interested in this? I would really appreciate your opinions on this! You can message privately if you don’t like replying publicly. I might consider creating a webpage for this specifically or uploading them to a different site but I’m not sure yet, I’m also open to suggestions :) 

Thank you for reading,

- Emma 

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, 1911

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov in the snow.

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Close-ups of Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, from a group portrait taken in 1916.

“On 11 August 1916, Alexandra informed Nicholas that their daughters had spent all day posing for a new set of official photographs ‘for giving away to their committees.’ As it turned out these would be the last official pictures ever taken of the four sisters, by photographer Alexander Funk. Released from their usual all-purpose plain skirts and blouses the girls dressed in their best satin tea dresses with embroidered panels of roses, wearing their pearl necklaces and gold bracelets. Anastasia not having passed the socially liberating age of sixteen still had her long hair loose, but her three older sisters all had theirs specially marcel-waved and dressed in chignons, most probably by Alexandra’s hairdresser Delacroix.”

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Rules: Tag 10 people you want to know better. I was tagged by @anne-white-star :)

Relationship Status: Single

Favorite Color: Yellow 

Three Favorite Foods: Pasta, Pizza and Chicken curry

Song Stuck In My Head: Rain On Me by Lady Gaga ft. Ariana Grande

Last Song I Listened To: Millions by Always Never

Last Thing I Googled: Romanov Autumn: Stories from the Last Century of Imperial Russia by Charlotte Zeepvat. I’m trying to grow my Romanov book collection, luckily I found it for a good price and it’s on the way to me!

Time: 03:07pm

Dream Trip: Sweden

Anything I Really Want: For me, my family and friends to stay happy and healthy :)

I tag: @girlhistorylover, @graceofromanovs, @thedaughtersofthetsar, @romanovcolors @katyusha-koshechka, @the-four-sisters, @grand-duchessa, @tatianaromanov, @princessvictoriamelita and @historicwomendaily (only if yous want to!)

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Nickname (nick•name)

a name added to or substituted for the proper name of a person, place, etc., as in affection, or familiarity.

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Tsar Nicholas II and his only son Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, 1916.

[delicateflowers-of-the-past]

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia photographed with each of her five children, Olga (b.1895), Tatiana (b.1897), Maria (b.1899), Anastasia (b.1901) and Alexei (b.1904) shortly after they were born.