In early November of 1895 Olga Nicolaievna was born the first child & daughter to the Imperial Couple. Fondly called Olishka or Olya, the Grand Duchess had a thick blanket of light golden hair from birth and stunning deep blue eyes. On her face rested her humble little stub, as Olya dubbed her thin pug nose. She had a natural grace and charm about her public presense, but tended to be shy like Alix. In private she could be hot-tempered, yelling even at her mother when she didn't want to do her chores. From the time she stood only at her Papa's knees she would give orders without thinking, behaviour the Empress tried to discourage. Though she was hard to discipline, her mother could always count on Olya's honesty. Her manners, however, were another story! She was independant, and from a young age showed promise of a quick and strong mind, to be equalled by her open and kind heart.

 Anyone who met the Olga admired her for her efforts to help those who were less fortunate than she. Growing up Olishka was restricted by her allowance and couldn't help much, so she reserved her aid for special cases. When a young woman she came into part of her fortune, and was able to expand her charitable efforts.

True friends were hard to come by for a Grand Duchess, but with the birth of her sister Tatiana in May of 1897, Olga found her best friend.

 

Tatiana's complexion was fair, her hair dark, and her eyes an exotic shade of dark gray with a hint of blue. She was known for her elegance and poise, and in her presense you never forgot you were in the company of the Emperor's daughter. She was always polite, knew the right things to say to put you at ease, and was everything you would expect a Grand Duchess to be; her gentle, yet regal nature took over by instinct. Painfully aware that her title made people uneasy, her first job was always to settle her company. Her tone was more formal than that of her sister's, but her voice was low, soft, and comforting. Tanya greatly resembled her mother in demeanor. She was closer to Alix than her sisters were, perhaps because she was a bit more eccentric than the others. Her mother primmed a proper English young lady in Tanya, hoping to maybe one day see her second daughter on England's throne. Though Tatia rarely spoke back to her parents and did her chores without having to be asked twice, she definately did not want to be married off.

Impartial to her studies, Tatia preferred the responsibility of running a household. She could sit down at a piano and easily play a beautiful melody, yet her heart wasn't into it. The same with painting, her passion lied more on the practical perks of life. Though she could not compete with Olga in the schoolroom, Tanya far outshone her elder sister with her public presence, and quickly emerged as the leader of the Grand Duchesses.



June of 1899 saw the girls a new sister, Maria Nicolaievna. The bright and cheerful Russian Beauty had lush golden hair, large dark blue eyes, and a rosy sparkle in her cheeks. She was born to one of the most powerful Ruling Families in the world, yet poor little Marie was feeling out of place with her elder sisters. There was always two of them and only one of her. Olga and Tanya would shield their activity from Mashka, not inviting her in on any of their play. Marie was clumsy which paved the way to her older sisters' insults, but she was always serene in nature and never crossed anyone intentionally. Mashka was the beautiful angel of the girls, who preferred to stay out of trouble, so much so that Olga and Tanya referred to her as their step-sister.

When she was younger Marie was plump and the target of friendly amusement for her family. Much to Alexandra's relief, Mashka grew into her figure beautifully. The chubby baby grew into a self-assured stunning young woman. Children were her passion and about them she was somewhat bold, grabbing babies out of their mother's arms. She was "down to earth," friendly, reliable, and easy to speak with. Her tutors seldom found reason to complain about her, though Masha was ever the daydreamer, thinking about the time when she would be married and have her own family. As Maria matured her accidents and clumsiness finally started to sway, but she still remained the same dear Mashka.

 

Only slightly less than two years after Mashka was born, in June 1901, Anastasia Nicolaievna made her entrance into the world. In her Marie found her best friend. The Grand Duchesses were split up into the Big Pair (Olga and Tatia) and the Little Pair (Maria and Anastasia).

Ana was light in skin tone and hair colour, and proudly showed off a beautiful set of cornflower blue eyes. Her nose was thin and delicate like her mother's, and she had Alix's high cheekbones, like Tatiana. She inherited the small Danish fisique from her Grandmama. When serious her facial features settled into a striking pose, but beauty was a thing that her elder sisters all had as well. To make her mark on the Romanov Family Anastasia developed a sarcastic wit and a sharp tongue. Nicknamed Shvibz, Russian for Imp (among many other nicknames), she was funny, sarcastic, and had a wild, unpredictable temper. Nastas, who suffered from a weak back, had a massuse that came twice a week to the palace, and often before the massage was carried out, a search for the youngest Grand Duchess was formed.

Nastasia thought well of herself and knew her rank, and when she was younger used her position as one of her greatest alibis. Her temper was hard to control when she was small, and she would tug at her cousins' hair just for being taller than she.

She found a true companion in her puppy, Shvibzik, and was used to having him follow her everywhere. Dogs were one of Nastas's passions, painting was the other. Ana was a wonderful artist. Taking tips from Aunt Olga, Ana quickly mastered her paint brushes and adorned her photo albums with her own work.

She absorbed her first lessons and showed great promise intellectually. However, Shvibz would most often rather be up a tree than be inside on a beautiful day for a French lesson. She wouldn't come down until her Papa himself had to order her. By the winter of 1913 it was getting harder and harder for Shvibz to consentrate. Gilliard was worried his pupil's mind was shutting down. Up until then Ana had given her tutors right to be proud, she thought of everything as a sort of game, a test of the memory. But suddenly, she was bored, and didn't want to play anymore.

In the Alexander Palace, where the family spent their winters in Tsarskoe Selo, the Big Pair shared a bedroom right next to their little sisters'. Their rooms were painted in pink showing an Art Noveaux frieze stenciled near the ceilings. A screen covered with floral print divided each sleeping area. After each girl grew out of her crib she slept on a hard camp bed, the traditional style of the Romanov Children since the days of Catherine the Great. The mattresses were thin but the blankets were warm, and adorned the girls' initials. The rooms were lined with dressing tables complete with frills on the edges, and couches with green and white embriodered cushions. As the girls grew older they began to suit their side of the room to their own tastes, mostly the walls were adorned with framed photographs from their outings on the Standart and trips to Livadia, also paintings and portraits of their family. Icons showered the rest of the walls. Each of the girls took after their parents and were highly religious. In their room proudly displayed was a favourite icon of the Empress and her girls: Our Lady of Tsarskoe Selo, showing the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus Christ.

Olga and Tatiana's bedroom looking into their sisters' room
Black & White Original provided by Bob Atchison of The Alexander Palace Time Machine

All four shared a large room which served as a combination dressing room and bath. Divided by a single curtain, half the room was filled with wardrobes, and hidden behind the curtain was a large bath of solid silver which beared the inscription of each Romanov Child who had used the bath since its creation. Growing up the girls would rise early in the morning and have a cold bath, it was believed to be good for the soul. As they reached their teens the cold baths were replaced with warm ones at night, and each would add their own perfume to the water. They preferred the Coty perfumes: Olga was partial to "Rose Thé," whilst Tatiana preferred "Jasmine de Corse." Marie tried several different perfumes throughout her life, but always came back to "Lilas," and Shvibz never deviated from "Violette."

As the daughters of the Imperial Couple of Russia, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia lived a closely guarded lifestyle. It was rare that they were actually given the chance to play with their Imperial or Royal Cousins, and instead were most often in the company of the servants and their families. Being so sheltered from the Aristocratic Society that ruled St. Petersburg, they depended on each other for friendship, comfort, support, and trust. The girls were closer to each other than most other Imperial and Royal sisters. Each knew she could never come to the Russian Throne.

Everyone in the nursery eventually knew that each Grand Duchess was meant to be married off, and that hopefully at least of two of them would be married into the head of other Ruling Families. The thought of being apart from each other horrified the sisters, for each felt a strong bond and a sense of duty to their homeland and to each other. When still youthfull they proclaimed their unity by inventing a single signature to represent all four girls, OTMA, using the first initial of their names. They shared everything: their hopes, dreams, thoughts, and fears, as well as clothing and jewelry.

We sisters always borrow from each other when we think the jewels of one will suit the dress of another...
~Tatiana Nicolaievna to Baroness Sophie~

The girls were taught by their mother morals more close to the heart rather than the splendour and pomp the Russian Court was used to. It meant far more to them to present a gift that they put their own time and effort into. Whenever sending their gifts or cards they would always sign as OTMA, and came to be known as such within the Court.
 

The girls were dressed by their mother, alike or by the pair. When Olga and Tatiana came into their own sense of fashion they were able to coordinate their wardrobes together, though Tanya was far more interested in such things. Until each girl turned 16 she wore her hair down loosely, or pinned a bit away from the face in the old English style. Upon reaching 16, the "coming of age" mark in Russia, they styled their hair tightly coiled atop their heads, following the fashion of the adult women of the Court. Each morning the girls worked besides their maids and Governesses, making their own beds and cleaning up after themselves. They were taught that it was bad manners to make commands to the servants. Rather, they were to ask. (If it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you... and If it wouldn't be too difficult for you, my Mother asks that you come.) At home they were not addressed as "Your Highness," but in simple Russian form with their patronyms: Olga Nicolaievna, or Tatiana Nicolaievna. Rank meant nothing to them, and found themselves easily embarrassed when addressed by their full ceremonial titles.

Being kept to the world created for them by their mother, the girls looked to their servants, Naval Officers aboard their Father's yacht, and their family for companionship. Each took a special interest in learning the tiniest details of those around them, and took care to learn the names of their Father's Own Cossack Escort and the Sailors on the yacht.

Their still youthful Aunt Olga served as an intimate friend and benefactress to the girls. She came to Tsarskoe to visit them every Saturday, and every Saturday night Auntie Olga convinced Alix to let her take OTMA to her residence in Petersburg. So on Sundays Olga and her nieces would board the train for the capital, but only after they stopped for a luncheon at the Anichkov Palace with Grandmama, the Dowager Empress Marie. Tea at Aunt Olga's meant a chance for the girls to socialise with those their own ages, as the Aunt's house was filled with young people gathered ready to dance along side the girls after tea, and play games.

The girls enjoyed every minute of it. Especially my dear goddaughter [Anastasia]. I can still hear her laughter rippling all over the room. Dancing, music, games - why she threw herself wholeheartedly into them all.
~Olga Alexandrovna's Memoirs~

 The party ended upon the arrival of one of the Empress's Ladies-In-Waiting, who was sent from Tsarskoe to bring the girls home.

 

 

As the Big Pair grew up they took more of a role at public functions. In private Mama and Papa were just that, but in public they referred to their parents as "The Emperor," and "The Empress." They were each appointed Honourary Colonel-In-Chief to an elite regiment, and attended military reviews dressed in their regiment's costume. They would ride behind their Father, side-saddled, reviewing their soldiers.

Nicholas began to take his eldest daughters to concerts and to the theatre, trying to get them used to public life at Court that would soon be demanded of them. Always heavily escorted and chaperoned, they were allowed to ride and dance with eligible young officers, as well as play tennis and go on walks. Their parents had intended to debut the Big Pair in 1914, but with the summer's shift, history interrupted the best laid plans...