The Moscow State United Museum-Reserve and the State Archives of the Russian Federation present a historical exhibition project of photos from the personal albums of Russia's last royal family. The exposition tells about the art of photography in the last imperial family of Russia. The fashionable royal hobby of taking pictures has turned into a valuable historical source and a documentary reflection of the epoch.
The tradition of compiling albums with ceremonial photographs was carried on in the Romanov family, starting with Emperor Alexander II. However, upon the release of Kodak portable cameras and celluloid-based films, the family chronicle got filled with amateur photographs.
The first photo album appeared in the house of Nicholas II in 1896 It was the initiative of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Nicholas and Alexandra took pictures of each other, their growing children, travels and the interiors of their own palaces. The reports on the personal expenditure of the emperor and empress for the years 1896 - 1911, always included bills for film development and photo printing.
Nicholas II was fond of designing albums himself, as well as marking the place and date of the photo shoot. On October 29, 1896, he wrote in his diary: "I was busy with photographs, distributing them for stickers in a thick album."
Thirty-three albums with family photographs are kept in the personal funds of the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. Especially many photos are dedicated to their rest in Livadia and sailing the yacht named Standart.
The last family album was created in 1914 The photographs captured Crimea with a quiet homely atmosphere, then a visit to Odessa and return to Tsarskoe Selo, vacation in the skerries and in Peterhof.These are the last pictures of peacetime. World War II broke out soon and Rrussia got overtaken by the upheavals of revolutionary 1917.
The original photographs from the funds of the Romanovs family are small, measuring 5.7 x 5.7 cm on average. The exhibition features 57 enlarged copies of photographs from the collection of the State Archives of Russia. This collection is part of the funds of Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and their children - the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and the heir to throne Tsarevich Alexei.
The exposition is arranged chronologically and is a chronicle of the daily life of the royal family for two decades from 1897 to 1917.
The exhibition runs from September 30, 2020 to March 31, 2021
From Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays, the exhibition provides guided tours for combined groups of visitors. The tours start at 4 pm.
Tickets are available on the website. The exposition will be held in the exhibition hall of the IzmailovoEstate Museum.
Where: Izmailovo Estate Museum at address: 2, building 4, Gorodok im. Bauman, next to metro station "Partizanskaya", Moscow.