Beyond the portraits
The Romanov sisters were the most photographed princesses of their day, yet the world knew very little of the four girls in the official portraits.
The daughters of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, and German-born Alexandra of Hesse, have often been considered nothing more than the pretty backdrop to the larger and more dramatic story of their parents and tragic haemophiliac brother Alexey.
Despite what portraits depict and the sisters’ self-styled title OTMA (an acronym built from the first letter of each of the daughter’s names in order of birth), the Romanov princesses were far from interchangeable.
Behind the dutiful and bland image existed four very vibrant and fascinating and most of all, distinct, personalities.
Meet the real princesses behind the chocolate-box image…
Olga
15 November 1895 - 17 July 1918 (aged 22)
As the eldest daughter, the onus was often on Olga to set an example to her younger siblings. The most sensitive of the four Romanov sisters, she was also fiercely independent and strong-minded.
Olga was often paired with her sister Tatiana. The two girls shared a room, dressed alike, and were often referred to as ‘The Big Pair.’ Among her godparents was her great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.
Olga loved to read and enjoyed school work. Throughout her lifetime, Olga’s future marriage was often the subject of speculation. Matches with a variety of suitors were rumoured, including Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia, Crown Prince Carol of Romania, and even Edward, Prince of Wales, eldest son of Britain’s George V. However, Olga expressed a desire to marry a Russian and remain in her home country.
During World War I, she nursed wounded soldiers in a military hospital, eventually undertaking administrative duties because she had “overtired herself.”
Tatiana
10 June 1897 - 17 July 1918 (aged 21)
The great beauty of the family, Tatiana’s chiselled features closely resembled those of her mother.
Tatiana was practical and had a natural talent for leadership, earning her the nickname of ‘The Governess’ amongst her sisters. French tutor, Pierre Gilliard, remarked that Tatiana was reserved and “well balanced” but less open and spontaneous than her elder sister, Olga.
As Tatiana progressed into adulthood, she undertook more public appearances than her sisters and also headed committees. Much like her mother, Tatiana was deeply religious, reading her Bible regularly and studying theology.
When World War I broke out, she became a Red Cross nurse with her mother and Olga, her talent leading some to speculate that had she not been a princess, she could have become a pioneering nurse.
Maria
26 June 1899 - 17 July 1918 (age 19)
Maria and her younger sister Anastasia were often referred to as ‘The Little Pair,’ sharing a room and dressing similarly for special occasions when they wore variations of the same outfit.
Sweet-natured and soft, Maria was sometimes taken advantage of by her sisters, who nicknamed her 'fat little bow-wow.' The middle child of the family, Maria sometimes felt insecure and left out by her older sisters.
Maria was a generous spirit, leading her father Nicholas to once remark he worried she was too perfect and that he liked to be told when she misbehaved.
Too young to become a nurse during World War I, she visited wounded soldiers at a private hospital in the grounds of the palace at Tsarskoye Selo, playing board games with soldiers to help uplift their spirits.
Anastasia
18 June 1901 - 17 July 1918 (aged 17)
The now much mythologised fourth Romanov daughter was the wild child of the family, a force of nature who constantly entertained and demanded attention.
Quirky, inattentive and a hopeless scholar, she was also instinctive and intuitive and it was impossible to ignore her boisterous personality.
Holding the record for punishable deeds in her family, Anastasia sometimes tripped up servants, played pranks on her tutors and climbed trees.
