Princess Irina traveling in Moscow in 1915.

A letter from Princess Zinaida Ivanovna Yusupova to her granddaughter Tatiana （1888）

My dear Tanyok,

I have no news of you!!! I'm very upset about this. Not seeing you and not reading the lines you've written to console myself! You, who have accustomed me to these two comforts. My dear, dear ladybird! When will you cease to be one, to be called by this sweet nickname? It's impossible for your cold to last so many days. So, it must be a serious illness! I embrace you tenderly! If it weren't for the cold, I would have been with you long ago. Greetings from me to Nikolyus, who is very kind and has proven that he remembers me.

I hope Zinaida is feeling well, I send my regards to her.

Your grandmother.

My Laura and Donna

From the letters of Zinaida Sumarokova-Elston to her sister Tatiana

St. Petersburg, 21 December 1887

Tuesday evening

…In the morning, as always, I was in the nursery. After breakfast, the magical lantern of visitors began to flicker before us—people came one after another, and everyone kept asking when you would be arriving and how Papa’s health was. Among the visitors were Mikhail Mikhailovich, Nelly Baryatinskaya, Knorring (of the Cavalier Guard), and others. At dinner we had Naryshkin and Novoseltsev…

I went out for the first time and paid a visit to Grandmama and Aunt…

Today I went shopping and bought a few things for the New Year.

…Felix went bear hunting last night. He has just returned, frozen through, but since he only wounded the poor little bear, he is going back into the forest again…

I have just come home from work. The house feels so empty without you. During these holiday days, one feels your absence even more keenly! I send you my heartfelt New Year’s greetings and kiss you with all my heart, my dear little Tanechka! God grant that we may spend the New Year together.

Goodbye. Your Doudé

The State Historical Museum has the photo labeled as unknown; however, this is actually little Nikolai Sumarkov-Elston, the eldest son of Prince and Princess Youssoupoff.

The photo was taken in the studio of famed photographer Ivan Dyagovchenko. Princess Zenaida Youssoupoff loved to have her children photographed by the best photographers of their time. There's a known photograph of him from this photo session, currently in the archives of the Arkhangelskoe Museum Reserve.

As well as this photograph of the proud mother holding her son.

Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov in his youth (II)