Grand Duchess Maria (smiling) and Anastasia
Grand Duchesses Olga, Anastasia and Tatiana being balanced around
a Scandinavian mast with some officers of Standart, in the gulf of
Finland in 1913.
Anastasia ‘riding’ a lion statue.
This was taken in Spala, 1912, during the height of Alexei’s bleeding. This was one of the few times Alix actually smiled while her son was in pain. Gilliard recalls;
At the beginning of September, 19I2, the family left for the Forest of Bielovesa (An Imperial sporting estate in the Government of Grodno. This forest and the Caucasus are the only places where the aurochs, or European bison, is found. They still rove these immense forests, which occupy an area of more than three thousand acres.), where they spent a fortnight, and then proceeded to Spala (An ancient hunting-seat of the kings of Poland.)
(Alexei gets hurt.)
One evening after dinner the Grand-Duchesses Marie and Anastasia Nicolaievna gave two short scenes from the Bourgeois Gentilhomme in the dining-room before Their Majesties, the suite, and several guests. I was the prompter, concealed behind a screen which did duty for the wings. By craning my neck a little I could see the Tsarina in the front row of the audience smiling and talking gaily to her neighbors.
Grand Duchesses Maria and Anastasia.
“He thoroughly enjoyed life—when it let him—and he was a happy, romping boy. He was very simple in his tastes and he entertained no false satisfaction because he was the Heir; there was nothing he thought less about.” —Pierre Gilliard
Feelings.
