Alexander Palace | Nicholas II

Unique catalog of Nicholas II’s uniforms has been published

The Tsarskoye Selo State Museum has published the first volume of a unique catalog of the wardrobe of Emperor Nicholas II and his family. The first volume is dedicated to the uniforms of Nicholas II.

The Tsarskoye Selo State museum houses the world’s largest collection of uniforms of the last Russian Tsar and clothes of members of his family – more than 800 items. The collection comes from the Alexander Palace, the last and favorite residence of Nicholas II.

The catalog contains photographs and descriptions of more than 350 items. The author of the catalog is the curator of the Men’s Costume Collection, senior researcher at the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve, Alexei Rogatnev. [Note: the link features a 10-minute video of Rognatnev talking about the Alecander Palace’s collection of Nicholas II’s uniforms]

“During the reign of Nicholas I, there was a rule without exceptions: the Emperor was an officer of the Russian Empire. Therefore, he was obliged to wear a military uniform, and only on trips abroad could he wear civilian dress. Even when he was not engaged in affairs related to the management of a huge empire, Nicholas II wore a uniform: in photographs from the Romanov family albums, we see him playing tennis in the summer jacket of a naval officer and shoveling snow near the Alexander Palace in the uniform of a colonel of the 4th Imperial Family Life Guards Rifle Regiment,” he notes.

“In the last few decades of the 19th century, thanks to the passion of Alexander III and Nicholas II for hunting, the rule was somewhat relaxed – when hunting, members of the Imperial Family wore comfortable, specially tailored suits. Thus, most of the wardrobe of both the emperor and the grand dukes was a collection of uniforms of the various units of the regiments of the Russian Empire and European countries,” Rogatnev added.

PHOTOS: pages from the 296-page catalog of Nicholas II’s uniforms
© Tsarskoye Selo State Museum

PHOTOS: pages from the 296-page catalog of Nicholas II’s uniforms
© Tsarskoye Selo State Museum

PHOTOS: pages from the 296-page catalog of Nicholas II’s uniforms
© Tsarskoye Selo State Museum

PHOTOS: pages from the 296-page catalog of Nicholas II’s uniforms
© Tsarskoye Selo State Museum

The catalog is based on documents from the museum collection, the most valuable are from the inventory lists of the Alexander Palace Museum, which were compiled in 1938-1939. They contain a complete list of the wardrobe of the Imperial Family as of 22nd June 1941, and make it possible to recreate the composition of the pre-war collection, the method and place of evacuation, and to identify lost items.

Among the numerous sources that were used in researching for the catalog, the wardrobe records of Nicholas II, in particular, which uniform he wore. Entries in these books were made only on the days the Emperor participated at official events held in St. Petersburg and mirrored those of the Chamber Fourier journal. They do not contain records of the Emperor’s foreign travels, while traveling on the Imperial Train, and under other similar circumstances. These records also contain factual inaccuracies that can be identified by cross-referencing several sources.

Thanks to the study of the annual reports, which are stored in the Russian State Historical Archive, we can see the expenditures for the manufacture of most of the uniforms of Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodorovna, Tsesarevich Alexei and the Grand Duchesses. These accounts make it possible to determine the amount spent on uniforms by year, to systematize the internal structure of the wardrobe by military units, to determine the main and secondary suppliers of uniforms, military accessories, and shoes.

Emperor Nicholas II and his family made the Alexander Palace their permanent residence rom 1905. Personal items, including their respective wardrobes, were not tied to a certain place, but accompanied them, wherever they stayed, be it the Winter Palace, Peterhof, Livadia, Spala, Moscow or abroad. But most of the Emperor’s wardrobe invariably remained in the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo.

The catalog of Nicholas II’s uniforms will be of interest to historians, specialists in Russian military costume, art historians, museum employees and everyone who is interested in the reign of Russia’s last Tsar.

The catalog is currently only available in the Tsarskoye Selo museum shops in the Catherine and Alexander Palaces, in the Russia in the Great War Museum (located in the Sovereign Military Chamber), as well as book kiosks found in the Catherine Park.

NOTE: this catalog is ONLY available in Russian, there is NO English language edition available, nor does the museum have any plans on issuing such. 296 pages, richly illustrated throughout.

FURTHER READING

Nicholas II’ s uniforms on display in Tula from the Collection of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum + 21 COLOUR PHOTOS

Wardrobe of Emperor Nicholas II in the Alexander Palace + PHOTOS and VIDEO

1896 Coronation uniform of Emperor Nicholas II + PHOTOS

Christmas tree installed in the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoye Selo

Posted on 11 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

The tree was installed in the Semi-Circular Hall
Photo © Tsarskoye Selo Museum-Reserve

A live fir tree has been installed in the Semi-Circular Hall[1] of the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo. This is the fifth year in a row (since 2021) that the tradition of Emperor Nicholas II and his family has been revived.

The tree has been decorated with antique toys from the museum’s collection. The Christmas tree will stand until the end of the New Year holidays.

From 1905 to 1917, the Alexander Palace was the preferred residence of Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodorovna and their children. All members of the Imperial Family and their entourage took part in the preparations for Christmas[2]. A Christmas tree for the children was placed on the second floor, while the main family tree was on the first (ground) floor.

The tree was decorated with antique toys from the museum’s collection
Photo © Tsarskoye Selo Museum-Reserve

Several other Christmas trees for servants and guards stood in the ceremonial halls, and a Christmas tree for the Emperor and the Empress was placed in the private rooms of Alexandra Feodorovna. The last time a Christmas tree was decorated in the Alexander Palace was in December 1916.

The Ceremonial or State Halls of the Alexander Palace reopened in July of this year. The Semi-circular and Portrait Halls, as well as the Marble Drawing Room, are now part of the excursion route through the palace, which now includes 17 interiors.

Visitors were reminded that the Alexander Palace is open from 26th December to 30th December 2025 and from 2nd January to 11th January 2026. The museum’s opening hours are from 10:00 to 18:00.

NOTES:

H[1] It was from the Semi-Circular hall, that the Imperial Family went into exile to Siberia on 14th (O.S. st) August 1917.

[2] As Orthodox Christians, Nicholas II and his family celebrated Christmas according to the Old Style Julian Calendar on 7th January

FURTHER READING

Christmas returns to the Alexander Palace

The Imperial Family’s last Christmas in 1917

Armchair recreated for Nicholas II’s Working Study

Posted on September 23 by Paul Gilbert

Photo © Tsarskoye Selo Restoration Workshop

The Tsarskoye Selo State Museum continue to recreate items lost from the Alexander Palace during the Second World War . . . the Tsarskoye Selo Restoration Workshop are currently recreating the armchair for the large desk in the Working Study of Emperor Nicholas II.

The chair is being recreated from a vintage 1917 photograph by masters of the Tsarskoye Selo Restoration Workshop, who during the past few years recreated other items of furniture for this interior, as well as other interiors in the recreated Private Apartments of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, located in the Eastern Wing of the Alexander Palace.

Furniture items which have been recreated for the Working Study of Emperor Nicholas II include a large table with a lamp; in June 2023, a beautiful Ottoman and a large Persian Farahan carpet was recreated to upholster the Large Ottoman sofa; in December 2024, a table and chair, among other pieces. Upon completion, each piece was returned to it’s original historic place in the Study.

PHOTO: Nicholas II seated in the armchair (currently being recreated) in 1901

Recall that the Alexander Palace closed in the Autumn of 2015 for an extensive restoration, which saw the reconstruction of the Private Apartments of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, situated in the Eastern Wing of the palace. Work on the project took 6 years to complete. The Alexander Palace reopened it’s doors to visitors in August 2021.

According to the TASS News Agency, the Western Wing of the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo is now scheduled to open to the public in late 2025.

Three ceremonial halls of the Alexander Palace reopened after restoration

Posted on July 18 by Paul Gilbert

Photo © Tsarskoye Selo State Museum

The restoration of the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo continues . . . on 19th July 2025, the Tsarskoye Selo Museum-Reserve opened three ceremonial halls of the Alexander Palace, after additional restoration work was carried out.

The Semi-circular, Portrait Hall and Marble Drawing Room are once again open to visitors and guided tours. The visitor route through the Alexander Palace now includes 17 interiors, which include the private apartments of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, as well as the interiors of the State Enfilade.

NOTE: the photos show the interiors as they looked following the recent restoration. They lack many of the decorative and applied art pieces, which have now since been returned to their original places – PG

Recall that in 2012, “cosmetic repairs” were carried out in the Portrait Hall, the Semi-Circular Hall and the Marble Drawing (the former Billiard) Room. In June 2010, the State Halls, which are situated in the central part of the palace – between the east and west wings – were solemnly opened to visitors, as part of events marking the 300th anniversary of Tsarskoye Selo.

However, despite the best efforts of curators, limited funds for restoration, and dispersed collections, meant that the presentations were somewhat sparse and of varying quality. The State Halls were closed again in the Autumn of 2015 for additional restoration work. The State Enfilade reopened in 2021.

Photo © Tsarskoye Selo State Museum

Photo © Tsarskoye Selo State Museum

The State Halls were closed yet again in 2023, and during the next year+, craftsmen carried out additional restoration work in the interiors. During this time, engineering and technical support systems (heat and power supplies, exposure lighting, ventilation, air conditioning) and low-current systems (security and alarm systems, video surveillance systems, warning and evacuation control, automatic fire alarms) were completely updated.

Specialists carried out large-scale restoration work which included repairs on the parquet floors, ceilings and window fittings. In addition, the mahogany doors with gilded bronze décor were also restored.

About 70 original works of paintings and decorative and applied art are showcased in the State Halls, including two portraits transferred “on loan“ from the Pavlovsk State Museum: the first, of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Emperor Nicholas I) and the second, of Queen Victoria of Great Britain. The works were returned to their historical places in the Marble Drawing Room [not to be confused with the Marble (Mountain) Hall.

Note: in 1951, thousands of items from the Alexander Palace were transferred to Pavlovsk. To date, they have not been returned – PG.

© Tsarskoye Selo State Museum

Visitors can also see three 18th-century chandeliers, created according to drawings by the architect Giacomo Quarenghi (1744-1817). They are made of bronze, glass and crystal and impress with their size: 3.5 meters high, each weighing more than 240 kilograms. The chandeliers were restored in March 2025.

Complementing the halls are four marble fireplaces, two of which are decorated with large vases created at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in the second quarter of the 19th century. On eleven consoles there are vases and candelabra. On the walls there are portraits of emperors and members of their families by artists Alexander Roslin, Franz Krüger, Timofey Neff, as well as urban and seascapes by Ivan Aivazovsky, Fyodor Alexeev, Maxim Vorobyov and Franz Ludwig Katel. In addition, are two large floor vases made of cloisonné enamel on copper, which were presented to Emperor Nicholas II in 1916 by Prince Kotohito on behalf of Emperor Yoshihito of Japan.

The Semi-circular Hall (see below). Photo © Tsarskoye Selo State Museum

The Semi-Circular Hall (pictured above) is associated with an important event in early 20th century Russian history. It was from this hall, on the night of 31st July / 1st August 1917, that Emperor Nicholas II, along with his family and an enormous retinue left the Alexander Palace and went into exile to Tobolsk, Siberia. They passed through the doors (seen in the photo above), and never saw their beloved home again. From 1905, the Alexander Palace had been the preferred Imperial residence of Nicholas and his family.

Photos © Tsarskoye Selo State Museum

At the time of this writing, the restoration of the Alexander Palace continues, funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, and philanthropists, and the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum. The restoration of the Western Wing of the palace is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Work is now underway to recreate the famous Crimson [aka Raspberry] Drawing Room. The work is planned to be completed in 2027.

Nicholas II’s menu: culinary preferences of Russia’s last Tsar

Posted on July 7 by Paul Gilbert

NOTE: the dishes highlighted in red below feature a link to a dozen recipes, and while they may not be the exact recipe enjoyed by the Tsar, it will give you an idea of his favourite dishes. If you know of a more authentic traditional Russian recipe for any of the dishes noted below, please email me at royalrussia@yahoo.com – PG

The kitchens for the Alexander Palace were located in a separate building, situated a few hundred feet away from the palace, on Dvortsovaya [Palace] Street. Meals were prepared in this building, and taken to the palace through an underground tunnel, built in 1902 – see original plan.

The kitchen building itself was a two-story, U-shaped structure with distinct architectural features on each floor. This building contained numerous rooms, including kitchens, linen room, a copper pantry, and a rooms for the cooks.

The purpose of having the kitchens in a separate building was likely due to fire safety and sanitation concerns, as was common practice for Russian palaces.

PHOTO: The former Kitchen Building of the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, as it looks today

Meals were brought to the palace via a tunnel and served in one of the rooms, usually the Semi-Circular Hall. When Nicholas and Alexandra dined alone, they dined in a more intimate setting, such as the Pallisander [aka Rosewood] Drawing Room [see photo below] or in the Empress’s Corner Reception Room.

The Palisander Drawing Room, was a cozy space with rosewood paneling and a fireplace. It was the room where Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna spent time with their children and enjoyed family dinners.

The Imperial family often invited close family members, trusted courtiers, and sometimes foreign dignitaries to dine with them. The Imperial children usually dined separately from their parents in their own dining room, situated on the second floor of the eastern wing of the palace.

For larger gatherings, the Semi-Circular Hall was the preferred space. It was in this interior, that a long table in the shape of a squared off U was used on more formal occasions. It was described as a room with a glittering chandelier, where guests could dine at round tables while listening to music.

While the Alexander Palace did not have a dedicated dining room, these two spaces served as the primary locations for meals, both casual and more formal.

PHOTO: Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, taking tea in the Pallisander [aka the Rosewood] Drawing Room, in the Alexander Palace

***

Royalty is often associated with luxurious living and dining. Throughout history the early Russian tsars, tsarinas, emperors and empresses dined lavishly. One has only to visit the elegant Baroque Style Hermitage Pavilion at Tsarskoye Selo for evidence of the grand scale in which the Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great dined and entertained their guests.

Despite the opulent surroundings of the Russian Imperial Court, Emperor Nicholas II was known for his love of simple, traditional Russian food, and unlike his ancestors and some of Europe’s royal family’s, avoided excessive luxury in food. He preferred a straightforward approach to dining, even when elaborate menus were prepared. Evidence of Nicholas II’s culinary preferences are indeed, often found in the surviving menus of that time.

Nicholas II started the day with rye bread with butter, boiled eggs and some sort of sliced meat, such as ham or bacon.

Among his favorite breakfast dishes was Dragomirovskaya porridge – named after the Russian military general Mikhail Ivanovich Dragomirov (1830-1905). Historian of Russian cuisine Pavel Syutkin explains that “Dragomirov porridge is… Buckwheat with mushrooms! However, there are a few secrets in the recipe. First, cook porridge by adding cream. Secondly, it is served in layers, like a pie. And thirdly, an indispensable addition to porridge is wild mushroom sauce.”

Lunch was the main meal of the day, and began with soup, such as solyanka [a thick and sour soup], ukha [fish soup] or shchi [cabbage soup]. Nicholas also had a fondness for cold Russian soups, like Botvinya, made with kvass, spinach, sorrel, and beetroot leaves. Soup was served with small vol-au-vents [small round pastry shells filled with a creamy mixture of meat or fish], rasstegai [small pies with fish or meat] or small croutons with cheese.

Nicholas also enjoyed pelmeni [meat dumplings] and vareniki [types of dumplings]. On the Imperial Yacht Shtandart, he often ate pan-fried dumplings.

Then came fish [pike perch or trout], roast [wild game or chicken], vegetables, Other favorites were Yalta-style Roasted Suckling Pig served with buckwheat stuffing and horseradish on the side, Mikhailovsky cutlets [later known as chicken Kiev] or Skobelev meatballs [Swedish meatballs], served with white sauce.

It is known that Nicholas II loved potatoes. Once in Crimea, he saw one of the officials carrying a sack of new potatoes from the market, and asked to sell him his purchase. In his youth, Nicholas II baked potatoes with his brothers and sisters in the Anichkov Palace park in St. Petersburg, and later with his son Tsesarevich Alexei in the Alexander Park.

It is interesting to note, that unlike many Russians, Nicholas did not like caviar. The officers of the Imperial Yacht Shtandart noted that “the Tsar was very fond of appetizers, except for caviar, salmon and salted fish.” There was a simple explanation for this – once while returning from the East in 1891, Nicholas was traveling along the Siberian route. At the stations, he was greeted with the traditional bread and salt, salted fish and caviar. The excessive summer heat coupled with all the salt, made him all the more thirsty. Needless to say, he developed a dislike for salted fish and caviar.

Dessert consisted of fruits, sweets, ice cream, jam, honey, as well as dishes such as pears in sherry or pie with rice porridge and lingonberries could be served. Lunch as a rule ended with delicious coffee.

PHOTO: сладости из империи / Sweets from the Empire

Nicholas II’s love of ice cream deserves special note in this article. Ice cream was especially popular at table of the last Emperor and his family. The recipe for “Romanov ice cream”, which was invented specifically for Nicholas II, has been preserved to this day. It included sugar, 10 egg yolks, heavy cream, whipping cream and vanilla. “I remember ice cream, the like of which I have never eaten anywhere else,” wrote the daughter of Grigorii Rasputin, Maria (1898-1977).

As far as alcohol, Nicholas was known as a teetotaler, despite the false allegations that he was a drunkard. As for wines, he only drank port at table. At first, the Emperor had his port brought from Portugal, but after he tried Crimean port wine, he switched. He rarely drank vodka and champagne.

At the same time, wines were served at the ceremonial dinners hosted in the palace, including Madeira, sherry, Bordeaux and Chablis wines, as well as Crimean wines, all from the well stocked cellars of the Alexander Palace.

FURTHER READING:

Imperial Dining – History of Court Dining: Dining with the Tsars

An Imperial Lunch in the Crimea

***

Paul Gilbert’s Romanov Bookshop on AMAZON

Please CLICK on the BANNER or LINK above to review my current selection of titles in hardcover, paperback and ebook editions. Listings provide a full description for each title, pricing and a Look inside feature.

18th century Chandeliers returned to the Alexander Palace State Halls

Posted on March 6 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO © Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve

The restoration of the interiors of the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo continues . . . On 5th March 2025, three 18th century chandeliers were restored and returned to the palace’s beautiful ceremonial halls.

Recall that in 2012, “cosmetic repairs” were carried out in the Portrait Hall, the Semi-Circular Hall and the Marble (Billiard) Room. In June 2010, the State Halls, which are situated in the central part of the palace – between the east and west wings – were solemnly opened to visitors, as part of events marking the 300th anniversary of Tsarskoye Selo. However, despite the best efforts of curators, limited restoration funds, and dispersed collections, meant that the presentations were somewhat sparse and of varying quality. The State Halls were closed again in the Autumn of 2015 for additional restoration work, and reopened in 2021.

The three restored chandeliers were created according to a drawing by the famous Italian architect Giacomo Quarenghi (1744-1817), who constructed the Alexander Palace between 1792–96. The chandeliers were made of made of bronze, glass and crystal, and designed to hold 100 candles each. They are the largest and heaviest chandeliers in the museum’s collection and designed for such a large number of candles. Each chandelier stands 3.5 meters [11.5 ft.] high, and weighs more than 240 kilograms [530 lbs.]. The restoration work was carried out by specialists from the Yuzhakova Studio workshop in St. Petersburg.