A fancy-dress ball in the Winter Palace in 1903. Baroness Emma Vladimirovna Fredericks
21 heliogravures and 174 light prints. Album du bal costume au Palais d "hiver, Fevrier 1903. 21 photogravues et 174 phototypies. St. Petersburg, printed in the Expedition of Preparing State Papers, 1904. Title in Russian and French. top cover.45.7x35.2 cm Alternatively, in a publishing calico folder 10 notebooks. The album is a collection of photographs of the highest persons and persons who were at the aforementioned ball in Russian costumes of the 17th century. It is very rare, because the edition was originally intended for the participants of the ball.
Bibliographic sources:
Antique catalog of the Joint Stock Island "International Book" M., 1924-1936, No. 54. M., 1934. Books on Art. No. 22 - $ 20!
A group of dancers during the Russian ball.
A group of officers L-Guards. Preobrazhensky regiment.
A group of officers L-Guards. Equestrian regiment.
A group of officers L-Guards. E. I. Gusarskogo shelf.
All participants of the famous ball were dressed in costumes of the "pre-Petrine era" specially created by the outstanding artist A.Ya. Golovin, as well as I.A. Vsevolozhsky, S.S. Solomko and the best tailor-dressers N.P. Lamanova, I.I. Kaffi, A.F. Ivashchenko and E.T. Ivanova. Luxury in suits was successfully combined with grace. According to contemporaries, the ball was not just "a magnificent spectacle, but an integral work of art." At the request of the last Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, the best photographers of St. Petersburg took photographs of all the participants in the costume performance. In 1904, an album of these photographs was released in a limited edition. Some of the ballroom outfits have also survived to this day. The brilliance of carnival costumes was so dazzling that they became a standard for stage and cinema artists who subsequently turned to historical themes.
E.I.V. Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich.
E.I.V. Empress Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
The fancy-dress ball, which took place in the Winter Palace on February 11 and 13, 1903, was a famous masquerade, during which the entire nobility of the Russian Empire was present in extremely luxurious costumes of the "pre-Petrine time". These costumes have survived to our time captured in photographs, which are a valuable historical source. Until now, this ball remains the most famous holiday in St. Petersburg during the reign of Nicholas II. The ball, arranged to commemorate the next anniversary of the House of Romanov, took place at the end of the Nativity Fast and took place in two stages: the Evening took place on February 11, 1903, and the Costume Ball itself took place on February 13. On February 11, the guests gathered in the Romanov Gallery of the Hermitage, then, marching in pairs, they greeted the imperial family, making the so-called "Russian bow". This was followed by a concert at the Hermitage Theater, with scenes from Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov (performed by Fyodor Chaliapin and Medea Figner), from Minkus's ballets La Bayadère and Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake staged by Marius Petipa (with the participation of Anna Pavlova).
E.I.V. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna.
E.I.V. Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich.
E.I.V. Grand Duke Andrey Vladimirovich.
After the performance in the Pavilion Hall they danced "Russian". This was followed by a gala dinner held in the Spanish, Italian and Flemish halls of the Hermitage. The evening ended with dancing. On February 13, 1903, the second (main) part of the ball took place. All participants dressed up in costumes of the era of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. So, for example, Nicholas II was dressed in a tsar's costume ("the dress of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich": a caftan and an opal gold brocade, a tsar's hat and a baton are now kept in the Armory), and Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna in a costume of Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna. The ladies of the court were dressed in sundresses and kokoshniks, and the gentlemen appeared in the costumes of archers or falconers. Among the 390 guests were 65 "dancing officers" appointed by the empress, also dressed as archers or falconers of the 17th century. “The most spectacular entertainment in the old Moscow style was the costume ball in February 1903. Nikolai saw it not as an ordinary masquerade, but as the first step towards restoring the rituals and costumes of the Moscow court. The courtiers were instructed to appear at the ball in 17th century robes. "The hall, filled with ancient Russian people, looked very beautiful," Nikolai wrote in his diary. " “The impression was fabulous, - wrote an eyewitness of the event, - from the mass of ancient national costumes, richly decorated with rare furs, magnificent diamonds, pearls and semi-precious stones, mostly in old frames. On this day, heirloom jewels appeared in such an abundance that surpassed all expectations. "
E.I.V. Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich.
E.I.V. Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich.
E.I.V. Grand Duke Dmitry Konstantinovich.
E.I.V. Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich.
E.I.V. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna.
The dances took place in the Concert Hall of the Hermitage (the court orchestra was also dressed in ancient Russian costumes), and lasted until 1 am. General waltzes, quadrills and mazurkas began after the performance of specially prepared three dances: Russian, round dance and dance under the direction of the chief director of the ballet troupe Aistov and dancer Kshesinsky. 20 couples took part in the "Russian", and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna and Princess Zinaida Yusupova were the soloists. (The ball was preceded by a dress rehearsal on February 10, 1903). The dinner was accompanied by the famous Arkhangelsk choir. After graduation, at the request of the Empress, the participants were captured by the best photographers of St. Yasvoin, L. Gorodetsky and E. Mrazovskaya, D. Zdobnov, I. Voino-Oransky, Renz and F. Schrader, and others), who created single portraits and group photographs of the participants. Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich - Book of memoirs: "Ksenia was in a noblewoman's dress, richly embroidered, shining with jewels, which suited her very much. I was dressed in a falconer's dress, which consisted of a white and gold caftan, with golden eagles sewn on the chest and back, pink silk shirt, blue trousers and yellow morocco boots. The rest of the guests followed the whims of their imagination and taste, while remaining, however, within the framework of the era of the 17th century. " "The Tsar and Empress came out in the outfits of the Moscow Tsar and Tsarina from the time of Alexei Mikhailovich. Alix looked amazing, but the Tsar was not big enough for his luxurious outfit."
E.I.V. Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich.
E.I.V. Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich.
E.I.V. Grand Duke Alexy Alexandrovich.
"At the ball there was a competition for the championship between Grand Duchess Elisaveta Fedorovna (Ella) and Princess Zinaida Yusupova. My heart ached at the sight of these two" crazy hobbies "of my early youth. I danced all the dances with Princess Yusupova until it was reached the "Russian." The princess danced this dance better than any real ballerina, applause and silent admiration fell to my lot. " “On January 22, 1903,“ all ”Petersburg danced in the Winter Palace. I remember this date exactly, as it was the last big court ball in the history of the Empire. Almost a quarter of a century has passed since that memorable night when Nikki and I watched the Tsar's appearance The liberator, arm in arm with the princess, under the gadflies of these halls, which reflected seven generations of Romanovs in their mirrors. The appearance of the cavalry guards remained the same, but the face of the Empire changed dramatically. The new, hostile Russia looked through the huge windows of the palace. I smiled sadly when I read the postscript in the text invitations, according to which all guests had to be in Russian costumes of the 17th century.At least for one night Nikki wanted to return to the glorious past of his kind ... The ball was a great success and was repeated in all details a week later at the house of the richest Count A. Sheremeteva This remarkable reproduction of a 17th century painting probably made a strange impression on foreign diplomats. ”While we were dancing, there were strikes in St. Petersburg and workers, and the clouds were gathering more and more in the Far East. "
His Highness the Prince of Siam Chakrabon.
His Highness Duke Mikhail Georgievich Mecklenburg - Strelitzky.
In 1904, by order of the Imperial Court in the Expedition of Procurement of State Papers, a special gift "Album of the Costume Ball in the Winter Palace" was issued, containing 21 heliogravures and 174 phototypes. Copies were distributed for a fee for a charitable purpose, primarily among the participants of the ball. In the same costumes, some of the guests appeared at the ball in the Sheremetev palace, which took place on February 14 of the same year. In addition, a similar ball à la russe took place 20 years earlier, on January 25, 1883 in the palace of Vladimir Alexandrovich and Maria Pavlovna; and in 1894 at the Sheremetyevs' palace. The costumes for the ball were created in advance according to special sketches of the artist Sergei Solomko and with the assistance of consultants and cost a fortune. Contemporaries also note the huge amount of jewels that were showered on the guests. Several costumes worn by the participants in these festivities have been preserved in the Hermitage funds. They came to the museum from various sources: from palaces that belonged to members of the imperial family (Winter and Novo-Mikhailovsky), from the mansions of the St. Petersburg nobility (Yusupovs, Golitsyns, Bobrinsky).
On February 11, 1903, an evening took place in the Winter Palace, and on February 13, a grandiose costume ball took place. This was the last ball of imperial Russia. Until now, this ball, which has been given the conventional name "Ball of 1903", remains the most famous holiday in St. Petersburg during the reign of the last of the Romanov family. It is remarkable that several costumes worn by the participants of these festivities have been preserved in the funds of the State Hermitage. They came to the museum from various sources: from palaces that belonged to members of the imperial family (Winter and Novo-Mikhailovsky), from the mansions of the St. Petersburg nobility (Yusupovs, Golitsyns, Bobrinsky), as well as from museums and the Museum Fund, which existed in 1920-1930- x years (art objects from numerous nationalized mansions of the St. Petersburg nobility were received there). Preserved markings and documents of receipt confirm their origin. Of great importance for the attribution of the masquerade dress of the Hermitage collection is the album with portraits of the participants of the 1903 ball. By order of Alexandra Fedorovna, after the balls on February 11 and 13, the best photographers of St. Petersburg - Boasson and Egler, Alexander, Renza and Schroeder, Levitsky and others - made single portraits and group photographs of the participants of the ball. These photographs served as the basis for the publication of an album with phototypes, containing about two hundred images. The albums were distributed (for a certain, rather high, fee) for charitable purposes, primarily among the participants of the ball. Perfectly executed photographs allow you to see the smallest details of the costumes and, based on comparison with the items available in the museum, attribute a number of clothes, hats, mittens and shoes. Thus, individual items and sets were identified that belonged to twelve participants in the masquerade. In the same costumes, they appeared at the ball in the Sheremetev palace, which took place on February 14 of the same year. Acquaintance with phototypes allows you to imagine the direction of the decoration of the masquerade costumes of the ball participants in their real embodiment. Here are the boyars and hawthorns, various court ranks from the time of Alexei Mikhailovich, falconers, archers, townspeople in various clothes: from rich ferrez and paid to peasant sundresses with soul warmers.
His Imperial Majesty Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich - Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich's dress
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna - the ceremonial dress of the Russian tsarina.
Her Imperial Majesty Maria Pavlovna
Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich
Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich
Grand Duke Andrey Vladimirovich
Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna
Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna - Boyarynya
Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna - Peasant woman of the city of Torzhok
His Serene Highness Prince Konstantin Alexandrovich Gorchakov
The Most Serene Princess Maria Mikhailovna Golitsina
Princess Elena Vladimirovna Golitsyna - Boyarynya
Adjutant General Prince Dmitry Borisovich Golitsyn
Prince Felix Feliksovich Yusupov
Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova - Boyarynya
Princess Elizabeth Nikolaevna Obolenskaya
Princess Natalia Fyodorovna Karlova - Boyarynya
Princess Nadezhda Alexandrovna Baryatinskaya
Princess Elena Konstantinovna Kochubei
Princess Nadezhda Dmitrievna Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya
Princess Olympiada Alexandrova Baryatinskaya
Princess Elena Nikolaevna Obolenskaya
Countess Varvara Vasilievna Musina-Pushkina
Countess Alexandra Dmitrievna Tolstaya
Duke George Georgievich Mecklenburg-Strelitzky
Baron Theophilus Egorovich Meyendorf
Baroness Emma Vladimirovna Fredericks
Housekeeper of the court Count Alexey Alexandrovich Bobrinsky - Boyarin
Marina Nikolaevna Voeikova
Sofia Dmitrievna Evreinova
Anna Sergeevna Istomina
Maria Nikolaevna Lopukhina
Nadezhda Ilyinichna Novosiltseva
The ball was held in two stages: on February 11, 1903, the Evening took place, and on February 13, the Costume Ball itself.
On February 11, on the so-called Evening, the guests gathered in the Romanov Gallery of the Hermitage, then, marching in pairs, greeted the Imperial family by giving the so-called "Russian bow". Then a concert took place in the Hermitage Theater, in which one of the parts was performed by Fyodor Chaliapin (Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov). Then a gala dinner took place in the Spanish, Italian and Flemish halls of the Hermitage. The evening ended with dancing.
On February 13, 1903, the second (main) part of the ball took place. All participants of the Ball were dressed in costumes of the era of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. So, for example, Nicholas II was dressed in the costume of Alexei Mikhailovich, and the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in the costume of Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna. The ladies of the court were dressed in sarafans and kokoshniks, and the gentlemen in the costumes of archers, falconers. Such costumes, which had to be created from special sketches and with the assistance of consultants, cost a fortune. The dances that evening were in the Concert Hall, where the court orchestra played, dressed in costumes from the era of Alexei Mikhailovich. The dances lasted until one in the morning. The dancers underwent preliminary training and even a dress rehearsal, where the empress herself sat on the jury.
Ball of 1903, stands out among other social events of that era. The walls of the Hermitage have never seen anything like this either before or after this event. Without exaggeration, the entire political elite of Russia, the entire diplomatic corps, and foreign ambassadors gathered at this ball. The last, relatively stable years of the Russian Empire passed, the Old Epoch was ending, and it is this Ball, more than a hundred years later, that is seen as a kind of farewell to the past, with nostalgia and dreams. This Ball was the last goodbye of old Russia. The 1903 ball caused a wide resonance among contemporaries.
After the ball, the wise Empress Alexandra Feodorovna decided to immortalize this ball, for posterity, and therefore for the living generations, and invited the best photographers of St. Petersburg, who created single portraits and group photographs of the participants in the ball in costumes from the era of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
In 1904, a special gift album of the 1903 Ball was released, containing 173 photographs of the participants in the ball and costing a lot of money, which was distributed mainly among the participants in this ball. After some time, individual copies of this album were put up for sale at auctions in the West and cost huge sums. Costumes from the era of Alexei Mikhailovich are of particular value in this edition. Throughout the Soviet era, this event and the album were never mentioned, much less reissued. Not many knew about the existence of this album, as well as about the Ball of 1903 itself.
Exactly one hundred years later, the publishing house "Russian Antiques" republished this album.
Director Alexander Sokurov devoted a few minutes in his film "Russian Ark" to this ball.
Links and sources
- Fancy-dress ball of 1903 in the Winter Palace on the site of the State Hermitage.
- Costumes of the participants of the 1903 ball: 26 photos with comments.
- Photos of some of the participants in the 1903 Ball:
"We looked at each other in amazement: as if by magic, all the familiar figures turned into wonderful images from our eastern past."
Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna
The brightest and most famous ball during the reign of Nicholas II is the 1903 costume ball, timed to coincide with the next anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. The ball took place on 11 and 13 February 1903 at the end of the Nativity Fast.
General photo of the participants in the costume ball in the Winter Palace
Looking at the photographs of the participants and the surviving costumes, one can hardly imagine that the idea of holding this bright and perhaps one of the most famous ball in the history of European royal courts was born in a dispute between the son of the famous Russian poet Zhukovsky and the minister of the imperial court Baron Fredericks during breakfast with the emperor at the end 1902. The point of the dispute was that Pavel Vasilyevich Zhukovsky accused Tsar Peter I of destroying Russian identity and imposing a Western costume, and Baron Fredericks defended himself with the words: “If we were now all dressed in Russian costumes, we would be like the Chinese, whose embassies, arriving in their national costumes, stir up laughter in Europe ”. Zhukovsky, on the other hand, described Russian costumes so colorfully that by the end of breakfast, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna wished to see all this cycle at the court ball. It was decided to time the ball to coincide with the accession of the Romanovs to the Moscow throne in 1613, and the era of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was chosen for the costumes.
Already on January 1, 416 notifications were sent out to persons belonging to the highest nobility, but many at first took this idea without much enthusiasm. The coming year of 1903 had already been scheduled in detail, and since it was decided not to postpone the event, it was decided to close the last theatrical evening of the season with a costume ball and was scheduled for the beginning of February. There was practically no time left for expensive costumes, the development and sewing had to be broken immediately and all this spontaneity entailed unplanned crazy waste. More than 100 people immediately declined the invitation, while others, regardless of the cost, took up the preparation.
Despite the fact that the ball was to take place in the near future, the requirements for the costumes were very strict. The outfit had to be unique and fully correspond to the era of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. All invited persons, as the director of the imperial theaters V.A. Telyakovsky "were divided into two camps: some went to us for advice, others to Vsevolozhsky ..." It was thanks to the advice and instructions of V.A. Telyakovsky and I.A. Vsevolozhsky, as well as archival research, the ball turned into a historically reliable event.
In the winter of 1903, in secular Petersburg, all the talk was about a costume ball scheduled for February 11th. "Especially the ladies were completely stunned and forgot all the rules of secular relations," Telyakovsky was indignant. The bulk of the costumes were sewn in the workshops of the St. Petersburg imperial theaters and dozens of tailors were involved in the preparation of the costumes, who worked tirelessly.
The costumes were created according to the sketches of the artist S.S. Solomko, E.P. Ponomarev with the involvement of historians-consultants and were as reliable as possible. It was decided not to skimp on the decor of the costumes and they were generously decorated with the rarest furs, huge diamonds, pearls, gems - mostly in old frames, and even the orchestra musicians were dressed in old Russian costumes.
The "big outfit" of the empress was designed by the artist E.P. Ponomarev. The image of one of the icons of the Exaltation of the Cross Church of the Moscow Kremlin was taken as the basis. It depicted Maria Miloslavskaya, the first wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. A year later, the ballerina Tamara Karsavina recalled: "The Empress in the heavy crown looked like a Byzantine icon." The queen's outfit was adorned with a magnificent emerald the size of a palm, bordered with 54 diamonds. The Emperor, as Vsevolozhsky later recalled, "ordered me to find a suitable suit for him. He would like something long and not too flashy." The Empress was against the "modest" outfit and insisted that her husband's suit would not be inferior in luxury to her own.
Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
The costume of the sovereign, like that of the empress, was developed by I.A. Vsevolozhsky and E.P. Ponomarev, and theatrical costume designer of the Imperial Theaters I.I. Kaffi sewed it. The "Small Tsarist" outfit of Nicholas II consisted of a caftan decorated with genuine precious stripes from the ancient tsar's clothes, a hat of gold brocade made in the hat workshop of the Bruno brothers, and a staff of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. In addition, 38 authentic items of tsarist costumes of the 17th century were taken from the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin, 16 of them were selected, including pearl wrists that belonged to the son of Ivan the Terrible, Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich.
The outfit of the Tsar's younger brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, was completely reconstructed based on archaeological materials and was a costume of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in which he was on the day of choosing a bride. It should be noted that Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich in this outfit conquered the whole society, and his sister Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna wrote in her diary: "Misha came in his suit and killed everyone."
Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich
Despite the news on the eve of the ball that the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich would not be due to illness, the guests began to arrive by 8 pm on Tuesday 11 February for a performance at the Imperial Hermitage. The guests were in the costumes of the times of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the ladies of the court - in sundresses with kokoshniks, the gentlemen - in the costumes of falconers or archers, gathered in the Romanov gallery and, marching in pairs, greeted the imperial family with a "Russian bow". Then the whole audience watched the performance at the Hermitage Theater with scenes from Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov, from Minkus's ballets La Bayadère and Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake staged by Marius Petipa. Fyodor Chaliapin, Nina Figner and Anna Pavlova shone on the stage. After that, in the Spanish, Italian and Flemish halls of the Hermitage there was a dinner with champagne, Madeira, Russian-style Ropsha trout and many other things. After dinner, the evening continued with dancing in the Pavilion Hall until two o'clock in the morning.
Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna
On February 13, 1903, the second costume ball took place in the Concert Hall of the Winter Palace. The diplomatic corps was added to the previous guests. The ball opened with a polonaise from the opera by M.I. Glinka "Life for the Tsar", then danced "Russian" and continued with traditional dances: quadrille, mazurka, waltzes. Dinner followed traditionally. 34 round tables were laid in the Great Nicholas Hall. Buffets were located in the Small Dining Room and the Concert Hall, and tables with wine and tea were located in the Malachite Dining Room. For dinner, accompanied by folk songs and epics about Dobrynya Nikitich, they served foie gras, nantua with oysters, ruff timbal and even pickles from Madeira drinks, champagne and red wine "Chateau Margot". Then the ball continued with dancing and ended at three in the morning.
On February 14, at the ball to Count A.D. Sheremetev's guests all dressed in the same costumes. Later, by order of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, the best photographers of St. Petersburg: Boasson and Egler, Renz and Schroeder, Levitsky and others made single portraits and group photographs of the participants of the ball. Albums containing 173 images were printed in 1904. They were distributed primarily among the participants of the ball for a fee for a charitable purpose.
Despite the Great Nicholas Ball in 1904, the 1903 costume ball went down in history as the last ball of the Russian Empire and none of those present had any idea that everything would disappear so soon and irrevocably.
P.S. The article was written specially for the exhibition: "Russian Tsars in London". The event was dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty and took place in the London office of Rossotrudnichestvo.
English version
From the memoirs of the participants of the ball:
"February 11th. The hall, filled with ancient Russian people, looked very beautiful. After supper there was a small cotillion, during which 12 couples danced Russian dance. Everything turned out very well and ended at 2 1/2.
February 13th. Thursday. At 9 1/2, a ball began in costumes from the times of Alexei Mikhailovich in the Concert Hall - a repetition of the previous one for Mama. Misha came too. The ball was fun, beautiful and friendly. The Russian dance was very successful. We had supper in the Nikolaev hall.
February 14th. Friday. At 102 we went to the ball to Count A.D. Sheremetev. Half of the society was "ours" - in historical costumes. There was a repetition of yesterday's Russian dance. "
Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich
"Ksenia was in a noblewoman's dress, richly embroidered, shining with jewels, which was very suitable for her. I was dressed in a falconer's dress, which consisted of a white and gold caftan with golden eagles sewn on the chest and back, a pink silk shirt, blue trousers and yellow morocco The rest of the guests followed the whims of their imagination and taste, remaining, however, within the framework of the epoch of the XVII century ... ) and Princess Zinaida Yusupova .... The ball was a great success and was repeated in all details a week later at the house of the richest Count A.D. Sheremetev. "
Letters from Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna addressed to Princess Alexandra Alexandrovna Obolenskaya. January 1903
"Dear Aprak,
Okay, I'll find out tomorrow, at? On the 12th I will have Ivanova with a model of a suit, I need to try it on - I would very much like to have you! Also Faberge sent me a drawing for the kokoshnik. If you can, please come!
Ksenia
Sweet Aprak,
Tomorrow in? On the 12th I will have Ivanov's dressmaker and some gentleman whom I saw at the exhibition (historical costume) and asked him to make me a drawing of a shoe! He, apparently, understands some things in the old days and can give instructions about the costume! I am tired of this question and I finally want to end it tomorrow. Would you like to come too ?! I would be very grateful, I hope you will have breakfast with us.
Ksenia
Sweet Aprak,
Come, please, tomorrow for breakfast at? 1st. Let's decide about the kokoshnik and everything else (him)! Thank you for the drawing. Haven't done anything about the Becker case yet.
Kiss. Ksenia"
Anna Aleksandrovna Vyrubova-Taneeva, maid of honor of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
"The winter of 1903 was very merry. This year I especially remember the famous balls at the Court in costumes of the times of Alexei Mikhailovich; the first ball was in the Hermitage, the second in the concert hall of the Winter Palace and the third at Count Sheremetev's. Sister and I were among 20 couples. who danced Russian. We rehearsed the dance several times in the Hermitage hall, and the Empress came to these rehearsals. in the hall, talking and looking at the costumes. "
Baroness Sofia Karlovna Buxgewden, maid of honor of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
“The Empress showed particular interest in all the preparations for this ball; she herself, with the help of the director of the Hermitage Museum Ivan Alexandrovich Vsevolozhsky, who provided her with the necessary historical information, designed her costume and the costume of the emperor.<...>Men and women from high society vied with each other at this ball. For this occasion, magnificent staves, jewels and furs were extracted from private collections. The officers dressed in the uniforms of that time, and the courtiers dressed in the dresses adopted at the court of Tsar Alexei. The Grand Duchesses were dressed like their ancestors, and their outfits were created by the best modern craftsmen. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna looked the most charming of all at this ball. Everyone danced old Russian dances, carefully learned beforehand - the spectacle was truly bewitching. "
Yesterday was an interesting date - 109 years from the date of one of the most famous court balls in the Winter Palace during the time of the last Russian tsar - "Russian Ball of 1903".
Next year will be a rounder date - 110 years.
And 9 years ago in the Hermitage there was even an exhibition dedicated to this ball.
Much has been written about him, but I decided that such a separate post about him should be in my magazine.
I am deeply convinced that this ball was made in the likeness of the famous 1897, in the days when the diamond anniversary of the reign of Queen Victoria was celebrated. Although of course at that time there was a fashion for such fancy-dress balls, but still very much the same.
The walls of the Hermitage have never seen anything like this either before or after this event. Without exaggeration, the entire political elite of Russia, the entire diplomatic corps, and foreign ambassadors gathered at this ball. This Ball is called the last ball of the Russian Empire. There was nothing like this after.
On February 11, 1903, the guests gathered in the Romanov Gallery of the Hermitage, and in the Great (Nikolaevsky) Hall of the Winter Palace, marching in pairs, they gave a "Russian bow" to the owners. The central event of the evening was a concert at the Hermitage Theater with scenes from the opera Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky (the title roles were performed by Fyodor Chaliapin and Nina Figner), from the ballets La Bayadere by Minkus and P.I. Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" staged by Marius Petipa (with the participation of Anna Pavlova). After the performance, they danced "Russian" in the Pavilion Hall. The dinner took place in the Spanish, Italian and Flemish halls of the Hermitage, where the evening table was served. Then Their Majesties with the participants of the ball proceeded to the Pavilion Hall, where the evening ended with dancing.
On February 13, 1903, the second part of the ball took place; Among the guests were 65 "dancing officers" appointed by Her Majesty. Members of the royal family gathered in the Malachite drawing room, the rest in the adjoining rooms. At eleven o'clock in the evening, all the participants went to dance in the Concert Hall, where behind a gilded lattice on the podium there was a court orchestra dressed as trumpet players of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and 34 round tables for dinner were placed in the large Nicholas Hall. Buffets were located in the Concert Hall and Small Dining Room, tables with tea and wine were located in the Malachite Hall.
After dinner, the guests and hosts returned to the Concert Hall and danced until 1 am. General waltzes, quadrills and mazurkas began after the performance of specially prepared three dances: Russian, round dance and dance under the direction of the chief director of the ballet troupe Aistov and dancer Kshesinsky. The cavaliers were young officers of the guards regiments: cavalry guards, horse guards and lancers. The group of dancers underwent serious training: on February 10, 1903, at the dress rehearsal in the Pavilion Hall, ladies appeared in sarafans and kokoshniks, men - in costumes of archers, falconers, etc. The Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna were present at the rehearsal as a "jury". 
By order of Alexandra Fedorovna, after the balls on February 11 and 13, the best photographers of St. Petersburg - Boasson and Egler, Renz and Schroeder, Levitsky and others - made single portraits and group photographs of the participants of the ball. These photographs served as the basis for the publication of an album with phototypes containing 173 images. The albums were distributed (for a fee) for charitable purposes, primarily among the participants in the ball. Acquaintance with phototypes allows you to imagine the general direction of the decoration of the masquerade costumes of all participants of the ball. It came out in 1904.
"" On Yandex.Photos
After some time, individual copies of this album were put up for sale at auctions in the West and cost huge sums. Costumes from the era of Alexei Mikhailovich are of particular value in this edition. Throughout the Soviet era, this event and the album were never mentioned, much less reissued. Not many knew about the existence of this album, as well as about the Ball of 1903 itself.
The picture shows the 2003 reissue of this Album.
And since there are posts with pictures from this book in LJ and you can't do better, I'll just give you links to them.
One of the most beautiful and complete I consider Alice's post in the "Beauty Story" community.
Several costumes from this ball have been preserved in the Hermitage.
For those who are interested.
And also read how the Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna prepared for the ball. These are her letters to Princess Alexandra Alexandrovna Obolenskaya in January 1903:
Sweet Aprak,
Okay, I'll find out tomorrow, on the 12th I will have Ivanova with a model of a suit, I need to try it on - I would very much like to have you! Also Faberge sent me a drawing for the kokoshnik. If you can, please come!
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Sweet Aprak,
Tomorrow at the 12th I will have Ivanov's dressmaker and some gentleman whom I saw at the exhibition (historical costume) and asked him to make me a drawing of a shoe! He, apparently, understands some things in the old days and can give instructions about the costume! I am tired of this question and I finally want to end it tomorrow. Would you like to come too ?! I would be very grateful, I hope you will have breakfast with us.
Sweet Aprak,
Please come by tomorrow for breakfast at half past one. Let's decide about the kokoshnik and everything else! Thank you for the drawing. Haven't done anything about the Becker case yet.