Above: Tatiana around 1912 (so she was around 15.) The quality isn't great but it's another one I found...she looks very pensive....and strangely aware of her grim future.
I'm not sure why I love this picture so much.
It's very reflective of the Edwardian era -- the clothes, the posture -- and yet it seems so casual, as if we're able to experience the colored world through these girls' eyes. I'm hoping to do more projects on families -- perhaps the Roosevelts.
Anyway, the girls pictured here are cousins, and they're from the ruling family of Russia (pre-communism, around 1909), the Romanovs. The girls on the far left and far right (Tatiana and Olga, the daughters of Nicholas II) are sisters, and the girl in the middle (Irina) is their cousin. It is safe to assume that they're enjoying a lovely day in summer at Livadia, the retreat for tsars -- but I'm not sure.
I had to research their hair color, because I actually have to get this one right! For Tatiana, I wasn't sure what qualifies as "dark auburn", so I did a copperish-reddish-brown. Irina I assumed was brunette, and Olga obviously dirty blonde, with only a hint of red. Remember, these girls were the essence of European royalty and were expected to represent the grace and elegance of the woman -- all four daughters of the tsar were worldwide fashion icons and known for their beauty. (There are two others, Mashka and Anastasia, who are not pictured, and a boy, Alexei.)
In case your wondering, these poor girls were trapped in the heat of the revolution and murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918.
But their impeccable style will live on.
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