Russian inspiration

"The Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, who married the Grand Duke Sergei, was really the “ Pre-Raphaelite Beauty,” as the Ambassador von Schweinitz had acclaimed her in his report on the wedding in 1884".

"Lady Abdy is so exotic and sensible and strange and ballet russe – one could scarcely understand her. But I find her amusing intelligent and that rare thing, ‘real’. How many are that I wonder? …."

"...Anglo-Russian Convention was signed in 1907. A personal touch of royal friendliness was felt to be required to clear away any lingering mistrust, and Edward embarked for Reval. He had long talks with the Russian Foreign Minister, Isvolsky, and danced the Merry Widow waltz with the Czarina with such effect as to make her laugh, the first man to accomplish this feat since the unhappy woman put on the crown of the Romanovs. Nor was it such a frivolous achievement as might appear, for though it could hardly be said that the Czar governed Russia in a working sense, he ruled as an autocrat and was in turn ruled by his strong-willed if weak-witted wife. Beautiful, hysterical, and morbidly suspicious, she hated everyone but her immediate family and a series of fanatic or lunatic charlatans who offered comfort to her desperate soul. The Czar, neither well endowed mentally nor very well educated, was, in the Kaiser's opinion, "only fit to live in a country house and grow turnips."

"Maria Baryatinskaya was a blonde with black eyebrows, and her gaze, when she was fond of someone, was full of a warmth that I had never seen in anyone except the Empress Maria Alexandrovna (the wife of Emperor Alexander II), perhaps because I genuinely loved both of them. Maria Baryatinskaya was the same height as I was. When she let her hair down, it covered her knees, and she wrapped it three times around her head and secured it with a gold pin. I remember a birthday party at Papa's in Peterhof. Although the Baryatinskys lived nine versts away, she arrived with fresh flowers in her hair. Most of the flowers were still in bud, and in the warmth of the dance, they bloomed. A portrait by the famous artist Robertson captured her in all her beauty, playing the piano".

"One night, at a Court ball, she saw and danced with Prince Otto Windischgratz. The next day she went to her Royal grandpapa and decisively announced that she wished to marry the said gentleman. The kind old Emperor, whose dearest wish is to have everyone about him quite happy, sent for the young man, and, smiling, informed him of the honour which he was about to bestow upon him, in the form of his granddaughter's hand in marriage. The young officer was overwhelmed ; he blu'shed, stammered and bowed. The Emperor, thinking all this emotion was gratitude for the honour he was about to receive, beamed upon him, and, waving his hand, said gently : "It is all quite settled ; you may go to her." Then the deeply confused and equally distressed officer burst out : " Pardon, sir, but I am fianceed already." The Emperor, perhaps not quite taking in the import of this announcement, and perhaps thinking of his granddaughter's happy face, again waved his hand, and said : " 'Tis no matter. You can easily arrange that," and thereupon dismissed the agitated young man. Of course, it is not every day that a young army officer has a Royal Princess thrust into his arms with an Emperor's blessing. So, naturally enough, the previous engagement was broken off, and the Archduchess Elizabeth made a mesalliance, as she had told me she would do".

"We were awaiting our parents’ return, and had even thought out a little ‘tableau’ which we could enact for a welcome. Then, while we were at lunch on the Sunday, Monsignor Stanowsky, the tutor to my brothers, was called away from the table to the telephone. He came back completely shaken but said nothing, and we thought it was bad news about his mother, who was very ill at the time. He immediately rang up our aunt Henriette, my mother’s sister, in Prague, and asked her to come to Chlumetz immediately. She arrived that afternoon and told us, more or less straightaway, that there had been an attack on our parents and that they were both injured. We were shattered and begged to be allowed to go to them. Instead, we were taken to the village church in Chlumetz to pray for them. Stili we had no idea how dreadful the news really was. They let us sleep - as well as we could - overnight, and then, early the next morning, we were told the dreadful truth".

"One charming picture of the Tsarina Elizabeth evoked my greatest admiration. Since the revolution I have often wondered where this picture is now".

The memoirs of the Crown Princess Cecilie

"We played in secluded corners of the large, dusty garden, its bushes all in flower. Two neat ladies, dressed all in black, would often come and watch us dig in the sand-heap. Dead crows seemed to be laid out on their plate-like black hats, claws and feathers spiking the air. They were the Empress, who had a crumpled face, and bright, kind eyes, and her lady-in-waiting, who hardly seemed to be there at all - like a shadow. Our Nannie, Miss Menzies (Miss Thompson was no longer with us), and Irina's governess, Miss Scott, stood us up, dusted us down, and subsided in deep curtsies, hastily whispering how good we had to be. Patting us on the head, the Empress gave us large lumpy sweets in tasselled paper, like small crackers. She spoke to us very kindly in an abrupt and husky voice. We were not shy at all and liked her".

"The Empress - Mother is perfectly charming. " Let each one of them come here to me separately for I cannot see them so far off," said she, as she sat up in her chair to receive us. She gave us her hand to kiss, and had something friendly to say to each. We were received as her dear fellow-countrymen. Before leaving she inquired which of us liked dancing, for she much liked to see cheerful people about her. She laughed and joked and seemed quite pleased".

"The princess has come, the glorious princess, everyone praises her very much, and indeed, there is something subtle and good about her. She said that my portrait of the late tsar is generally the best of all his portraits, I said that's because the others are too bad — she laughed, she seems to understand everything".

"I met Emperor Franz Josef several times in the following years, both in Vienna and in Ischl where he went hunting. We travelled there from Gmunden, the Austrian seat of the Guelph family, and were always invited to his table. Everything was homely and simple and redolent of the modest way in which the Monarch lived. He was always very gracious to me, perhaps because J was called Sissy, and it brought him back memories of his beloved wife, the Empress Elizabeth, who had been assassinated in 1898".

Ella to Ernie March 26 (April 7) 1890

"My darling Erny

Your little book you sent me is my delight & amuses me so reading it, much tender thanks as also for your dear letter | recieved long ago in answer to both of mine - You told me once if ever | heard of an occasion when fine but cheap stones could be got | was to write to you, well Serge saw these jewels the other day & finds the prizes remarkably reasonable for the beauty of the stones — the diamonds are yellowish but really splendid. | have a whole riviere the same colour Serge got them the other day from this man & made me a delightful surprise — the ruby earrings & bracelet the jewel[ller must have got from somebody who wished to sell their jewels as he only has diamonds — & coloured jewels are brought to him for sale, they are really very cheap in consequence & lovely in colour rubies are so frightfully expensive & always getting more & more so, you ought not to let the occasion slip by & Serge thinks he can get the man to moderate the prizes — you need not have them newly mounted as the earrings & bracelet are very pretty — of course in the drawing the stones look smaller than in reality having no colour as relief. Many kisses & much love from us both. Please answer directly.