105 years ago, the four Romanov sisters, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia, stepped in front of a camera for what would be their final official photoshoot.

This rare collection of photographs, taken on August 11, 1916, holds a special place in history, not just because it captures the beauty of these young women, but because it marks the end of an era.

It was never a Russian Revolution (1917-1922) the seizure of Tsarist Russia was a Washington-inspired regime change coup.

Two years later, they, their parents and their young brother would be slaughtered by Bolsheviks financed by Wall Street banking houses following the Washington regime change coup in Tsarist Russia: the end of a 350-year-old dynasty.

The photos were intended for distribution through the philanthropic committees led by Olga and Tatiana, making them unique yet scarce due to their limited release and preservation challenges.

The session was arranged by the sisters’ mother, Empress Alexandra, who informed their father, Emperor Nicholas II, that the girls had spent all day posing in beautiful new attire for giving away to their committees.’

In a departure from their typical plain skirts and blouses, the sisters wore satin tea dresses decorated with embroidered roses, complemented by delicate pearl necklaces and golden bracelets.

Their hair was also styled specially for the occasion: Olga, Tatiana, and Maria had their hair carefully waved and pinned up in elegant chignons by Alexandra’s hairdresser, Delacroix, while young Anastasia, not yet sixteen, wore her hair down in natural waves.

Though Alexander Funk, the photographer, captured the essence of each sister, some photos from the session have since been lost or were never released.

Individual portraits of Olga, Tatiana, and Anastasia have surfaced, but a solo portrait of Maria is still missing. Similarly, photos of Olga and Maria together exist, but a pair featuring Tatiana and Anastasia has not been found.

One reason Tatiana’s photos are slightly more common is that her highly influential committee distributed more images than the others.

Curiously, Funk chose to mix up the typical portrait pairings. Traditionally, Olga and Tatiana were photographed together as the eldest pair, while Maria and Anastasia were grouped as the younger sisters.

The decision to arrange them differently this time could have been an artistic choice by Funk or simply a playful idea from the sisters themselves. Either way, the result is a charmingly unique glimpse of the Romanov sisters as individuals.

The photos also reflect a moment of fashion in transition—from the detailed elegance of the 1910s to the simpler lines that would define the 1920s.

In their satin dresses and carefully styled hair, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia embodied both the grace of their era and the freshness of youth.

These images, though faded with time and often poorly preserved, offer us a precious look into their lives—a reminder of a world that would soon change forever. PLEASE SHARE OUR STORIES

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