ROMANOV FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS: HAND COLORIZED BY GRAND DUCHESSES

Maria and Anastasia Romanov, Alexei Romanov and Tsar Nicholas II
Grand Duchesses Maria and Anastasia Romanov, Tsarevich Alexei Romanov and Tsar Nicholas II in Ropsha, 1915.

  ROMANOV FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS: HAND COLORIZED BY GRAND DUCHESSES

As most of you already know, the Romanov family were avid photographers, and luckily for us – the Romanov history enthusiasts- they took hundreds and even thousands of photographs of their public as well private daily lives. Not only did the imperial family take photographs, they also had a dark room where they developed them – so they were real pros even at the dawn of photography!

The two youngest grand duchesses, Maria and Anastasia (“The Little Pair”) especially loved to hand colorize their photographs. A lot of these hand colorized photos have survived in the archives and are especially useful when one is trying to figure out the colors of the Romanov family members’ outfits, etc.

Grand duchesses Olga, Tatiana and Maria
Grand duchesses Olga, Tatiana and Maria Romanov
Grand Duchess Olga in bed
Grand Duchess Olga in bed

 

Grand Duchess Olga and Grand Duchess Tatiana with their parents Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra.
Grand Duchess Olga and Grand Duchess Tatiana with their parents Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra, and Nikolai Pavlovich Sablin, the imperial adjutant.
Grand Duchesses Maria and Anastasia at their infirmary
Grand Duchesses Maria and Anastasia Romanov at their infirmary

It was long assumed that the four grand duchesses, OTMA – as they referred to themselves, always wore identical outfits, however when we look at the hand colorized photos we realize that the outfits were similar in style but were in different pastel colors, which all appear white or off white in black and white photographs.

I like very few digitally colorized photographs of the Romanov family a lot if which circulate on the internet, but the hand colorized ones made by the grand duchesses themselves are very precious! So without further ado, please keep scrolling and enjoy! (Please click on each photo to enlarge)

Grand Duchesses Olga, Maria and Anastasia and Tsarevich Alexei with the Romanov family friend, "Ritka" Khitrovo.
Grand Duchesses Olga, Maria and Anastasia and Tsarevich Alexei with the Romanov family friend, “Ritka” Khitrovo.
Grand Duchess Tatiana with the Romanov family friend Anna Vyrubova in the Crimea
Grand Duchess Tatiana with the Romanov family friend Anna Vyrubova in the Crimea
Grand Duchess Olga with Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarevich Alexei
Grand Duchess Maria with Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarevich Alexei
Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov
Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov
Grand Duchess Olga Romanov with Nikolai Sablin
Grand Duchess Olga Romanov with Nikolai Sablin
Tsar Nicholas II
Tsar Nicholas II
Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov
Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov
Grand Duchess Maria and Anastasia Romanov at the infirmary
Grand Duchess Maria and Anastasia Romanov at the infirmary
Grand Duchess Olga Romanov and a Romanov family friend Countess Margarita "Rita" Khitrovo
Grand Duchess Olga Romanov and a Romanov family friend Countess Margarita “Rita” Khitrovo
Grand Duchess Olga, Grand Duchess Maria and Grand Duchess Anastasia
Grand Duchess Olga, Grand Duchess Maria and Grand Duchess Anastasia
Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia with their father Tsar Nicholas II
The Romanov family: Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia with their father Tsar Nicholas II and their mother Empress Alexandra
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Grand Duchess Olga Romanov and a Romanov family friend Countess Margarita “Rita” Khitrovo
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Grand Duchess Olga Romanov
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Grand Duchess Tatiana Romanov
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Grand Duchesses OTMA
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