By Helen Azar
The Romanov family members loved to play games, even as adults. Various games are mentioned in their diaries and letters, and readers often would like to know exactly what these games were. I will use Tatiana’s own writing to discuss some of the games.
From the 1916 memoirs of Semyon Pavlov, a patient at the royal infirmary: Read more ROMANOV FAMILY GAMES
“The second bright happy day in our family: at 10.40 in the morning the Lord blessed us with a daughter – Tatiana. Poor Alix suffered all night without shutting her eyes for a moment, and at 8 o’clock went downstairs to Amama’s bedroom. Thank God this time it all went quickly and safely, and I did not feel nervously exhausted. Towards one o’clock the little one was bathed and Yanyshev read some prayers. Mama arrived with Ksenia; we had lunch together. At 4 o’clock there was a Te Deum. Tatiana weighs 8 ¾ pounds and is 54 centimeters long. Our eldest is very funny with her. Read and wrote telegrams…”
~ From the diary of Nicholas II, 29th May, 1897 ~
Tsar Nicholas II’s second daughter, Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna, was born to the growing Romanov family on May 29 (Old Style) 1897, in Peterhof – a town located on the Golf of Finland, just outside of St Petersburg. While her big sister Grand Duchess Olga resembled their father, baby Tatiana looked more similar to her mother, and the Tsar often remarked that she reminded him of his wife. Nicholas II loved his second daughter dearly; later her sisters used to joke that if it was necessary to appeal to him with any request: “Tatiana must ask Papa to allow us to do this.” Read more TATIANA ROMANOV: GRAND DUCHESS TATIANA NIKOLAEVNA OF RUSSIA
The four Russian grand duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia, or OTMA as they often referred to themselves, loved and respected each other, as well as other members of their family: their mother, father and little brother, Tsesarevich Alexei. “We 7” is how every member of the close knit Romanov family referred to themselves collectively. Read more EMPRESS ALEXANDRA – “MAMA” AND HER GIRLS (OTMA)
PORTRAITS OF THE ROMANOV FAMILY
See more of Philadelphia artist Anne Lloyd’s work: Stay at Home Artist – The Romanov Sketchbook
Read more PORTRAITS OF THE ROMANOV FAMILY BY ANNE LLOYD
All members of the Romanov family were avid photographers. Luckily for us, because they left behind hundred upon hundreds of photographs! They often mentioned photographs in their diaries and letters, as well as one of their favorite past times: “pasting” their photographs into albums. Read more ROMANOV FAMILY AND THE CAMERA
