Royal Russia: The Private Albums Of The Russian Imperial Family

by Carol Townend, James Blair Lovell

This splendid selection of 140 rare or unpublished photographs from the Romanovs' own albums is an intimate portrait of the private and public lives of Tsar Nicholas II's family. It shows them relaxing in the luxury of their magnificent country estates, at work during World War I in the Palace Hospital, the children playacting, mushroom picking, and studying with their tutors. More formal portraits include the ceremony of the Imperial court as well as such important family occasions as the celebration of the birth of the heir Alexei.

This unique compilation is taken from the personal album of the Tsar's daughter Grand Duchess Maria and from the Tsarina Alexandra's own commemorative album, both now in the James Blair Lovell Archive. It also draws on the impressive collection of Ian Lilburn, a close friend of Anna Anderson, once the most plausible claimant to being the Grand Duchess Anastasia. With an explanatory text and informative captions often compiled from the original Russian, this is an extraordinary chronicle of a way of life that ended with the brutal execution of practically every member of the Imperial Family photographed in this book.

Genres: History, Russia, Nonfiction, Romanovs, Russian History

124 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Carol Townend writes atmospheric Historical Romances and Sagas set in England and Europe. Born in Yorkshire, she went to a convent school high on the Whitby cliffs. Later, she studied history at Royal Holloway College, London. She lives in London with her husband and daughter.

Carol's first novel, Sapphire in the Snow, won the RNA New Writers' Award. Two other novels were shortlisted for the RoNA Rose award - Betrothed to the Barbarian in 2013 and Unveiling Lady Clare in 2015.

Carol loves research, and spends too much time hunting for excuses to go on research trips. She can often be seen teetering on the battlements of various stately homes or castles.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lovely book filled with pictures (mostly) from private albums of the Empress Alexandra and her daughter Maria. There are some really nice photographs, this was my first Romanov photographs book and it's a great one for people curious about them. For anyone with a deeper interest, it becomes a bit boring, and the text that comes with the pictures is filled with mistakes, particularly identification ones (every Grand Duchess is mistaken as Anastasia at least once! And it's not pictures where the GDss is standing in the background, for example, there's one of just Tatiana's face where it says Anastasia). It's a lovely book, but there are many, many better books with photographs of the Romanovs out there.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was enamored with this beautiful collection of photos, some of which came from the albums of Tsarina Alexandra and Grand Duchess Maria. There were so many personal moments captured, including a picture of all five Romanov children with their heads shaved due to their bout with the measles. The introduction was a good summary of the Tsar’s life and the tragedy of his family. The layout was lovely, each photo was framed and captioned as if it was a cherished family album. This is a must-have for any Romanov enthusiast.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great history book.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great pictures of the last Tsar of Russia and his family from their own photograph albums.