The Romanovs

 Well, it's been another whole month without a post! Time does just slip away. Also, I might be more motivated if I made more money from this blog. Remember, if you have ad blockers, disabling on this site gives me revenue from the ads (no need to actually click on ads). Anyways, as evidenced from all the views on any post I do on the Russian Imperial Family, here are some pics of your favorite royals:

Painting of Empress Alexandra Fedorovna.

Photograph of Empress Alexandra. Alexandra was a daughter of the Grand Duke Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt. Her mother, Princess Alice of Great Britain, died when she was only six.

Painting of Empress Alexandra, wearing a magnificent diamond kokoshnik style tiara and lots of pears.

The Empress Alexandra wearing a simple diamond necklace as a headband.

The Empress Alexandra in full court dress, complete with a heavy pearl and diamond tiara.

Empress Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova.

A young Empress Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova.

A very young Empress Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova.

The Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna Romanova, sister to Tsar Nikolai II.

Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov at his wedding to Princess Irina Alexandrovna Romanova, daughter of the Grand Duchess Xenia.

Princess Irina Yusupova on her wedding day. She is wearing a diamond tiara by Chaumet.

The children of Tsar Nikolai II, l-r: Grand Duchess Maria, Grand Duchess Tatyana, Grand Duchess Anastasia, Grand Duchess Olga and Grand Duke/Tsarevich Alexey.

The Grand Duchess Vladimir of Russia

The Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the Older of Russia, also known as the Grand Duchess Vladimir.

The Grand Duchess Vladmir had perhaps the most expansive jewelry collection of all the royals. When she died in 1920, her jewels were auctioned, and many of her important pieces were snatched up by Queen Mary of England, grandmother to the present Queen of Britain.

A young Grand Duchess in fancy dress costume, with a concentric circles diamond tiara and wearing a diamond necklace with a large pearl drop as a headband.

The Grand Duchess wearing rows of pearl and a large diamond kokoshnik tiara, a style that all Russian Grand Duchesses owned.

Grand Duchess Vladmir  was born Marie Alexandrine Elisabeth Eleonore of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on 14 May 1854, daughter of Grand Duke Frederick Francis II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Princess Augusta of Reuss-Köstritz. She died on 6 September 1920 in Contrexéville, France.

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess Vladimir.

The Grand Duchess Vladimir on her wedding day.

Grand Duchess Vladimir in her impressive pearl and diamond suite. Her tiara of concentric diamond circles and large pear pearls is in the collection of Queen Elizabeth II, who wears it often.

Grand Duchess Vladimir was the mother of Grand Duchess Yelena "Helen" Vladimirovna, aka Princess Nicholas of Greece, who was the mother of Princess Marina of Kent, who was the mother of the still-living Prince Michael of Kent.

Floral Brooches, Part IV

Rainbow opal and diamond flower brooch.

Platinum and diamond rose brooch.

Platinum and diamond leaf brooch by Van Cleef & Arpels, New York, 1946.

Platinum and diamond rose brooch.

The Romanov nuptial wedding brooch, worn by all Russian imperial women on their wedding day.

A ruby and diamond flower brooch by David Webb.

Ruby and diamond brooch and ring set.

Rub, diamond and gold flower brooches by John Rubel.

Ruby and diamond tulip brooch.

Ruby, diamond and gold leaf brooch by Van Cleef & Arpels, France.

Sapphire and diamond brooch by Bulgari, circa 1960.

Sapphire and diamond brooch.

Sapphire and diamond brooch. The sapphires are cut into a really interesting scallop design.

A Tiffany & Co. diamond and sapphire bouquet brooch.

A sweetly simple leaf brooch made with sapphires and diamond, circa 1960.

A stylized bird and flower brooch, 1960's.

Cabochon turquoises, gold, amethysts and diamonds in the form of a cluster of grapes. Brooch by Cartier, Paris, circa 1950.

White gold, pink kunzite and carved wood flower brooch, France.

Enamel and diamond rose brooches, 1994.

A mulitcolored floral sprig brooch from 1945.

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the Younger of Russia

A postcard I bought of the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the Younger. She was only 18 when she was forced to marry a Swedish prince for political reasons.

Grand Duchess Marie with her grandma who was Queen Olga of Greece, her great grandma, and her son, Prince Lennart.

Grand Duchess Marie of Russia with her son, Prince Lennart of Sweden.

Marie with her first husband, Prince Wilhelm of Sweden.

Grand Duchess Marie on her wedding day in 1908. She is wearing the Romanov nuptial tiara, large cherry drop diamond earrings, a large diamond necklace, and the Romanov nuptial brooch.

Marie and Wilhelm.

Grand Duchess Marie in 1930.

The parents of the Grand Duchess, her father being the Grand Duke Pavel of Russia, pictured with her grandma, Queen Olga of Greece. Her mother died when she was very little, and she had no recollections of her.

Grand Duchess Marie at the age of 6. 

Marie in traditional Swedish dress.

Grand Duchess Marie in a nurse uniform during World War I, where she worked tirelessly helping soldiers.

The Russian Imperial Family on the balcony of a palace. To the far left is Grand Duke Pavel, father of the Grand Duchess Marie. Empress Alexandra Fedorovna and Tsar Nicholas II are center left, and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the older is just to the right of them.

I own Grand Duchess Marie's first volume of her autobiography, Education of a Princess, which details her life in Russia. The Seattle Public Library owns a copy of her second volume, Education in Exile, which details all the struggles she met with when she left Russia, living in France, England, and finally, in America. Sadly, all the photos were torn out of the book, which is such a shame, as the book is from the 1930's, and is a rarity to find.