The Romanov Children in 1906: Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra had four daughters and one son. (L-R) The Grand Duchess Olga (b.1895), Tsarevich Alexei (b.1904), Grand Duchesses Tatiana (b.1897), Maria (b.1899) and Anastasia (b.1901) Romanov. They were the last Imperial children of Russia. They were murdered with their parents 12 years after this photo was taken, in 1918.
The Romanov girls – Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia – were born only six years apart, which brought them close. As daughters of the Tsar, they naturally grew up in a very cloistered environment, without the usual playmates. This brought them even closer, closer than most sisters. They loved each other very dearly.
The grand duchesses thought of themselves as one unit and, by adolescence, decided to declare this unity by adopting the single autograph, “OTMA,” derived from the first letters of their names. As OTMA, they jointly gave gifts and signed correspondence.
Unlike most sisters, they did not squabble over possessions. Rather, they freely shared their belongings with one another. Tatiana once remarked to Baroness Buxhoeveden, one of her ladies-in waiting:
We sisters always borrow from each other when we think the jewels of one will suit the dress of the other.”
The girls were thrilled when their mother, Empress Alexandra, gave birth to a son in 1904. They warmly welcomed little Alexei, the tsarevich or heir, into their fold. He became everyone’s baby, especially when it was learned he was gravely ill with hemophilia.
Since there were five of them then, the grand duchesses modified the acronym OTMA to reflect the addition of their baby brother. OTMA thus became OTMAA.
Readers: For more about the Russian Royal Family on Lisa’s History Room, click here.
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Alexei seems to be wearing the same dress as his sister. If he would have made it to adulthood he would have definitely had issues! They had issues anyway. I have always been quite fascinated with the Romanov’s. Do you have anything on Rasputin?
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Back then, Dana, boys wore dresses until they were about six. It was traumatizing to American author Ernest Hemingway who went overboard in his adulthood chasing bulls in Spain and slaying leopards in Africa, all to prove his masculinity! I’m working up to the time in the Romanov history when Rasputin makes his appearance. Stay tuned and tell your friends about Lisa’s HIstory Room. Subscribe.
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Thanks Lisa, I have subscribed and I am thinking about a shout out on my own blog (which has a totally different topic and audience but WTH, it’s good to shake things up once in a while.
I have a Master’s in History but work in anohter field but your site really helps to keep my interest but also my passion for history alive, thank you for that. What I love about your site is that is not so focused on the big dates and names but also you give us little tidbits of social history, like this thing about dresses.
I also love how you respond to every question in the comments.
Thanks so much for all your work and efforts to put this site together.
Dana
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Dana, I appreciate such kind words. At Lisa’s History Room, I strive to feature people who fascinate us, for whatever reason. Then I search for a story within their story that gives us true insight into their character. Dates are helpful when they help us fix these people onto the larger picture; otherwise, they are clutter. Keep coming back and please, if you feel the desire, put my link on your blog.
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Good morning Lisa, your blog is the only one I read-I find it enjoyable and insightful.
Could I suggest that a read of Rasputin’s daughter’s book is worth it. So many impressions of one man: Tsarina saw him as a saviour, the Court saw him as sexual manic, the Romanov clan saw him as a charlaten and dangerous and the people saw him as a witch, fooler but most commonly as a man bedding the Tsarina and the Grand Duchesses. Yet another example of Nicholas’ weakness and lack of foresight.
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Melissa, Rasputin is a subject of great interest and confusion. I intend to work my way toward devoting some posts to him, in earnest.
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In the Victorian and Edwardian periods, little boys wore frocks until they were 3. No “issues” with the majority of men.
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Their story is so sad…
These articles on history are very interesting and informative. Maybe sometime you will do one on titles and what they mean. For instance, what is the difference between a Duchess, An ArchDuchess and a Grand Duchess?
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The Romanov daughters were Grand Duchesses, a higher rank than Princesses. See wikipedia for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_and_noble_ranks
Carole, subscribe to my blog so you can get updates. Thanks for visiting Lisa’s History Room.
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I had never seen this photo of the Romanov children before. Such color for 1906. Could it have been hand-tinted? Also, wouldn’t 1918 be only 12 years after 1906 rather than 16? A most tragic ending for these young people. Their individual, distinct, royal personalities radiate from this photograph.
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Winston, thanks for the math check. The photo is hand-tinted. I am reading about the children so I can get a fix on their individual personalities. So far, I understand that Tatiana was the leader, Olga, though older than Tatiana, accepted this, and Anastasia was a prankstering little imp. Can’t remember much about what I’ve read about Maria. Alexei, though, is a complete other story. More to come.
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Hi Lisa, I share a love of history & have a degree in Imperial Russian history. I noticed your references are secondary sources, I would suggest that you read some primary source documents. There are many books published: diaries of ladies in waiting, other members of the Romanov family as well as a host of their contemporaries. I think Massie’s book is a great introduction to Russian history but alas remains somewhat simplistic in his views. He’s not studied in Russian history formally, his interest arises from his own life comparison with the last Tsar & their bond that they both have hemophealiac sons.
I also read about the Trip to the Asylum, what an adventure for them, two young women alone. You mentioned that during this period asylums were nicer-this was an ideal fostered originally by the Quakers. The Quakers held the belief that to become well one must be in a peaceful, setting-it’s called pastoral setting/ideal. Most of the buildings were castle-like edifices the most studied & famous designed by Kirkbride. The other design was a cottage system where people were separated into dwellings by age & affliction. Many of the asylums had beautiful park lands, in fact Buffalo Asylum’s parks were designed by Olmstead, who also designed Central Park.
Neat story for you to check out, that of Prince John, brother of the Duke of Windsor.
Melissa
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Hi, Melissa, I agree with you regarding Nicholas & Alexandra by Massie. There are more learned books out there, citing primary sources, and I have used them. Alexandra by C. Erickson uses primary sources liberally as does the juvenile bio Anastasia’s Album (which refers to the tutor Guillard’s diaries frequently). Do you have a suggestion for a couple of good primary sources from within the court? Also, your article about the trip to the asylum – is that from another post of mine?
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Yes, my reference to asylums did stem from one of your articles. It was about two cousins from Texas traveling to see the Lunatic Asylum and their impressions of the asylum and it’s surroundings. Maybe the post was December?
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Just the other day, I chanced upon an article in one of our daily broadsheets (Philippine Daily Inquirer). The article is equally as interesting :
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/192351/filipinos-grandmamma-could-be-russias-anastasia
I, for one, am doubtful, knowing that there is already conclusive evidence on the death of all the Romanovs; but, then again, this may be worth looking into. It’ll be great to know people’s opinions on this.
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The smallest child isn’t Alexei. It’s a girl cousin to the Romanovs.
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Others?
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It’s Alexei. He was under 3 at the time, hence the dress, which boys wore until they that age or thereabouts. This was a complete, formal session, most likely for the opening of the Duma in 1906, so it would make no sense for this other child to have been a cousin and not the Tsar’s own child.
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