Grand Duke Nichalas Nikolaevich of Russia dressed as an 17th century infantry officer (1903)

Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia dressed as a 17th century Streletz infantry regiment  officer for the Imperial costume ball in the Winter Palace in February 1903. The original photo - here shown with my colorization - is in the National Museum of Denmark archive. 

"Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia (Russian: Николай Николаевич Романов (младший – the younger); 18 November 1856 – 5 January 1929) was a Russian general in World War I (1914–1918). A grandson of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, he was commander in chief of the Russian Imperial Army units on the main front in the first year of the war. He proved incompetent in strategy, tactics, logistics and coordination with the government.^[3] The tsar took over his commands, He later was a successful commander-in-chief in the Caucasus region. --

On 8 August 1922, Nicholas was proclaimed as the emperor of all the Russias by the Zemsky Sobor of the Amur krai /Priamursk region in the Far East by White Army general Mikhail Diterikhs. Nicholas was already living abroad and consequently was not present. Two months later the Priamursk region fell to the Bolsheviks. --

After a stay in Genoa as a guest of his brother-in-law, Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy, Nicholas and his wife took up residence in a small chateau at Choigny, 20 miles outside of Paris. He was under the protection of the French secret police as well as by a small number of faithful Cossack retainers.

He became the symbolic figurehead of an anti-Soviet Russian monarchist movement, after assuming on 16 November 1924 the supreme command of all Russian forces in exile and thus of the Russian All-Military Union, which had been founded in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes by Gen Pyotr Wrangel two months prior.^[16] The monarchists made plans to send agents into Russia. Conversely a top priority of the Soviet secret police was to penetrate this monarchist organization and to kidnap Nicholas. They were successful in the former, infiltrating the group with spies. (OGPU later lured the anti-Bolshevik British master spy Sidney Reilly back to the Soviet Union (1925) where he was killed.) They did not succeed however, in kidnapping Nicholas. As late as June 1927, the monarchists were able to set off a bomb at the Lubyanka Prison in Moscow.

Grand Duke Nicholas died on 5 January 1929 of natural causes on the French Riviera, where he had gone to escape the rigors of winter. He was originally buried in the church of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Cannes, France. In 2014 Nicholas Romanov, Prince of Russia (1922–2014) and Prince Dimitri Romanov (1926-2016) requested the transfer of his remains. The bodies of Nicholas Nikolaevich and his wife were re-buried in Moscow at the World War I memorial military cemetery in May 2015. (Wikipedia)

Maxim Gorky and Feodor Chaliapin with friends in 1904

Russian operatic bass singer Feodor Chaliapin (third from the right) talking to writer Maxim Gorky (third from the left) with Skitalets, Andreyev, Chelekov, Chirikov and Bunin. 

The photograph (here partially coloured by me) was published in the Swedish magazine "Allers Familj-Journal" in 1904. 

Russian Imperial Navy ship crew members performing a comedy in 1904.

Life on board a navy ship is often rather monotonous. That is why commanders, who care about their crew, often organize various activities in order to avoid boredom. 

In this photograph, taken in 1904 on board a Russian Imperial Navy ship on its way to the Russo-Japanese war, members of the crew have been performing a comedy for their fellow sailors. 

 As we all know, the Russo-Japanese war in 1904-1905 ended in a catastrophe for the Russians. There is no way of knowing whether these "actors" survived the war. 

(The photo - here coloured by me - was published in the Swedish magazine Allers Familj-Journal in 1904.)

Ladies of Russian aristocratic families making underwear for soldiers in the Russo-Japanese war

The noble ladies in the picture below gathered in St. Petersburg´s Vladimir Palace in order to make underwear for the Russian soldiers fighting in the Russo-Japanese war 1904-1905. The photograph was published in the Swedish magazine Allers Familj-Journal in September 1904. 

Portrait of general Kuropatkin in the early 1900s

Alexei Nikolayevich Kuropatkin (Russian: Алексе́й Никола́евич Куропа́ткин; March 29, 1848 – January 16, 1925) was the Russian Imperial Minister of War from 1898 to 1904, and often held responsible for major Russian defeats in the Russian-Japanese War, most notably at the Battle of Mukden and the Battle of Liaoyang. --

Following the October Revolution, he became very skilled at playing the violin and taught at an agriculture school that he had founded, until his death in 1925.

(Wikipedia)

The picture was published in the Swedish magazine Allers Familj-Journal in 1905. Colouring by me.

Russian cargo ship Georgiy Ushanov passing Helsingør

Russian cargo ship Georgiy Ushanov passing Helsingør tonight on its way to Alexandria:

Russian icebreaker Murmansk in Öresund

The new Russian icebreaker Murmansk (2015) was early this morning in Öresund

on its way to St. Petersburg:

Former Russian research vessel Akademik Ioffe in Öresund

The former Russian oceanographic research vessel Akademik Ioffe was this morning in Öresund on its way to Gdansk. The Finnish built ship (Rauma, 1989) now specializes in polar expeditions. There are beds for 96 guests.

Tsar Nicholas II blesses soldiers leaving for the front lines

On this photograph from 1905 Russian Tsar Nicholas II gives his blessing to soldiers

leaving for the Russo-Japanese war:

(Processing and colouring by me)

Coaling warships during the Russo-Japanese War 1904 - 1905

During the Russo-Japanese War (1904 - 1905) both sides used a British invention - Temperley overhead cranes - for coaling their warships while underway. The image from 1905 (coloured by me) shows a Russian navy ship receiving coal from a steamer with a Temperley crane.

The Kremlin in 1890s

Here is my version of the Kremlin in the late 19th century. I coloured an 1890s photograph

hoping that you will like it:

Imperial Russia in colour

Here are five old photographs from imperial Russia. I have tried to make them a little more lively by adding colour:

Tsar Nicholas and Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich (1905 official photograph)

Portrait of Maxim Gorky (about  1905)

Dmitri Trepov, Governor-General of St. Petersburg (1905)

A guard in St. Petersburg during the revolutionary year 1905.

Tsar Nicholas II on his morning ride (1905).

Celebrating Christmas in Finnish Viborg

Celebrating Christmas in Finnish Viborg (Viipuri) in the 1920s. At the time Viborg was the

second largest city in Finland and a thriving centre of culture.

Tsar Nicholas II and his son in 1905

This is a 1905 photograph of Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his son, Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, born on 12 August 1904. Alexei perished with his parents and sisters in Yekaterinenburg in 1918.

Russian Navy's Vishnya class intelligence ship in Øresund

Early this morning this Russian Navy Vishnya class intelligence ship was going southwards in Øresund. The ship's AIS was switched off, but most likely it was the Feodor Golovnin, which is one of the ships in the Russian Baltic Fleet. The Feodor Golovnin (94.4 m x 14.6 m) entered Soviet service already in the mid 80s, but it is now equipped with modern intelligence technology.

The Russian steam ship Okean in 1905

The steamer Okean accompanied ships of the Russian Baltic Fleet on their way to Manchuria during the Russo-Japanese war in 1905:

An Imperial Russian army "cook brigade" close to the front line during the Russo-Japanese war 1904-1905

"An army marches on its stomach."
   -- Napoleon Bonaparte

During the Russo-Japanese war 1904-1905 the Russian commanders were aware of Napoleon's words, and tried to organize the army food service as well as possible. The picture shows members of an Imperial Russian army "cook brigade" close to the front line somewhere in Manchuria.

Oskar Gripenberg, a Finnish general who commanded a Russian army in the Russo-Japanese war 1904-1905

General Oskar Gripenberg (1838-1916)

General Oskar Ferdinand Gripenberg was one of the Finnish officers, who served in the Imperial Russian Army during the Russo-Japanese war 1904-1905. (Finland was at that time an autonomous Grand Duchy under Russia). From 29 September 1904 to 29 January 1905 Gripenberg was the commander of the Russian Manchurian army.

This was the development that caused Gripenberg to resign as commander of the Manchurian army:

The Russian Second Army under General Oskar Gripenberg, between 25 and 29 January, attacked the Japanese left flank near the town of Sandepu, almost breaking through. This caught the Japanese by surprise. However, without support from other Russian units the attack stalled, Gripenberg was ordered to halt by Kuropatkin and the battle was inconclusive. The Japanese knew that they needed to destroy the Russian army in Manchuria before Russian reinforcements arrived via the Trans-Siberian railroad.

The commander in chief, general Kuropatkin refused to give Gripenberg the support he had asked for, and in addition Kuropatkin ordered the Manchurian army to withdraw against the its commander's will. Military historians consider Kuropatkin's indecisiveness and organizational deficiencies in directing large-scale military operations as a major element in the Russian defeat.

Noble St. Petersburg ladies sewing underwear for soldiers during the Russo-Japanese war 1904-1905

During the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) the ladies of the high nobility gathered in Grand Duke Vladimir's palace in St. Petersburg in order to sew underwear for Russian soldiers. The Vladimir Palace on the Embankment near the Winter Palace was the heart of social life in the Imperial capital at the time:

The Gala Opening of the Mariinsky II on ARTE: Ah, Those Mariinsky Ballerinas!

As part of its Christmas programming, the ARTE television channel last night brought us the opening gala concert of the Mariinsky Theater Second Stage, which took place on 2 May this year.

The concert, which featured such mega stars as Plácido Domingo, Rene Pape and Anna Netrebko, and of course the host Valery Gergiev, was a stunning display of music and dance on the highest level.

However, the ones who made the evening truly memorable, at least for this "reviewer", were the Mariinsky ballerinas. To me, they are the essence and the beauty of the Mariinsky tradition:

Yekaterina Kondarouva

Yekaterina Kondarouva

The Mariinsky Children's Chorus was another of the evening's highlights:

 

And, of course, Boris Godunov in all his splendour:

Evgeny Nikitin

 

Still another highlight: The Song of the Volga Boatmen

 

Bass Mikhail Petrenko and the Mariinsky Chorus