The Home of the Last Tsar - Romanov and Russian History

This page contains details on the expenses of the Grand Duchess Maria focusing on the year 1910. This material comes from the archive of the Alexander Palace in the Russian State Archive in Sr. Petersburg. Complete files exist for all of the Tsar's expenses and those of his family. Material such as this is extremely valuable for understanding the daily life of the Romanovs in the palace.

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These entries were translated by Jsenya Dyakova.

Bob Atchison

In 1910 Maria Nickolayevna's personal expenses covered the sum of 18397 roubles 56 kopecks. It included:

Gifts - 175 roubles;
Pensions - 481 r. 99 k.;
Family allowances - 80 r.;
Other grants - 303 r. 33 k.;
Premiums - 548 r. 33 k.;
Teachers' salaries - 7636 r. 45 k.;
Text-books and other educational aids - 74 r. 78 k.;
Pictures and library - 15 r. 77 k.;
Other expenses - 2703 r. 37 k.;
Toilet and wardrobe - 6307 roubles 37 k.;

Her total budget was :
Credit - 33000 roubles;
Debit - 33000 roubles;

Maria Nickolaevna's personal expenses covered the sum of 18397 r.56k. The rest of the money was transferred to her economic sum to increase her capital or was spent on bonds, etc.

II. 481 roubles 99 kopecks was spent on pensions which included:

1) 132 roubles to her former wet-nurse Kuzmina; 2) 100 roubles to her pediatrician's in ordinary's widow. (It's only the fourth of the whole sum paid to her. The other 3/4s were paid from Anastasia's, Olga's and Tatiana's accounts). 3) 249 roubles 99 kopecks to their former nanny Miss Eiger (it's also one fourth of the sum, the rest was paid by Anastasia, Olga and Tatiana).

III. 548 roubles 33 kopecks was spent on premiums which included:

1) 75 roubles paid to her former wet-nurse Kuzmina (25 roubles for Easter, 25 r. for Christmas and 25 r. on Maria Nickolaevna's Names Day);
2) 68 roubles to the domestics in the Alexander Palace (it's one fifth of the whole sum, the rest was paid by Alexey, Anastasia, Olga and Tatiana);
3) 333 roubles 33 kopecks paid to her gentleman of the bed-chamber to mark 10 years of his service (it's again one fifth of the sum, the rest was paid from Alexey's and other sisters' sums);
4) 72 roubles to the servants in the Peterhof Palaces (Nizhni Dvoretz) ( one fifth - the rest was taken from the other four children's sums);

IV. 175 roubles was spent on gifts. It's the price of the Vadball brooch given to the Duchess as a present.

V. 80 roubles was spent on family allowances which included:

1) 30 roubles to her worker Chizhikov to support his son Afanasy (one fifth of the sum, the rest was paid by the other four children of Nickolas II);
2) 50 roubles to support the children of her man-servant Shamov ( one fifth of the sum, the rest was paid from the sums of the other children).

VI. 303 roubles 33 kopecks was spent on other grants which included:

1) 110 roubles as a sick pay to their nanny's helper Vishnyakova (one fifth of the sum);
2) 45 roubles to their man-servant Sipovich as an extraordinary grant (one fifth of the sum);
3) 83 r. 33 k. to their lady of the bed-chamber Zeime as an extra-ordinary grant (one sixth of the sum);
4) 10 roubles paid to their chamber maid Utkina to spend on her leave (one fifth of the sum);
5) 10 roubles to their man-servant Shamov as a sick pay (one fifth of the sum);
6) 5 roubles to their worker Shamov to spend on his leave (one fifth of the sum);
7) 10 roubles to their worker Chizhikov as a sick pay for his wife (one fifth of the sum);
8) 30 roubles to their nanny's helper Tegleva to spend on her leave (one fifth of the sum).

VII. 71 roubles was spent on donations which included:

1) 60 roubles to Boisson and Eggler for a photo-portrait;
2) 11 roubles to Timper for the portrait's frame.

VIII. Other expenses covered the sum of 2703 roubles 37 kopecks which included:

1) 1260 roubles to Dr.Ostrogonsky for 126 visits (one fifth of the sum);
2) 236 roubles to her dentist Wallison for 13 visits (one fourth of the sum, the rest was paid by Anastasia, Olga and Tatiana);
3) 43 r.25 k. to Madame Qune manieure for 21 visits (one fourth of the sum);
4) 10 roubles to Dr.Volkov for 1 visit (one fifth);
5) Some money was paid to Kostin for stationary goods;
6) For the services of sending telegrams;
7) To cover chamber maid's minor espenses;
8) 26 roubles 89 k. to Brockar, Stoll and Smidt, St.Petersburg Chemical Laboratory, to Harrod's Stores, Ltd. for soap and eau-de-colonge (one fifth of the sum);
9) 145 r. 33 k. to Nissen for chests (trunks);
10) 15 r. 61 k. to Taratin for the chiffon and other fabrics (one fifth of the sum);
11) 43 r. to Labchardt for the tulle (one fifth);
12) 60 r. to Kornilov and Co. for 2 vases (one fifth);
13) 6 r. 16 k. to Ptashnikov in Yalta for toys (one fifth);
14) 2 r. 80 k. to Bouret for repairing a watch;
15) 40 r. to San-Galli for pillows (one fourth);
16) 72 r. 95 k. to Yaguelsky for developing their pictures.

IX. 7636 roubles 45 kopecks was spent on their teachers' salaries in 1910 (Maria Nickolaevna's expenses).

	The number of monthly classes in Tsarskoye Selo	Monthly amount paid from Maria's accounts
Religion Teacher Archpriest A. Vasilyev	6	33.34 + 18.00
Arithmetic Teacher Sobolev	?	100.00
Russian Teacher Petrov	11	33.34 + 33.00
German Teacher Kleikenburg	18	50.00 + 32.00
French Teacher Gilliard	11	108.35 + 21.00
History Teacher Ivanov	7	100.02 + 28.00
Music Teacher Conrad	15	50.00 + 45.00
Drawing Teacher no name	5	62.51 + 10.00
Dancing Instructor H. Christenson	?	?
Emglish Teacher S. Gibbs	?	?
French Teacher Nikil	?	?

I. 63 roubles 54 k. was spent on Maria Nickolaevna's Wardrobe and Toilet in 1910 which included:

742 r. to Weis for footwear (Jan.);
31 r. 22 k. to Socavs and Wells for clothes
61 r. 14 k. to Bazyrin for ribbons (one fourth);
645 r. 25 k. to their tailor Kitayev for suits;
46 r. 57 k. to Fogt for pins, lace, etc.;
13 r. 46 k. to Robert Heath Ltd., London for hats;
51 r. 28 k. to the English Store for sponges, etc.;
175 r. 80 k. to the English Store for stockings, jerseys, etc.;
80 r. 05 k. to Dalberg for bathing suits, jerseys, etc.;
38 r. to Bolin for jewelry work;
10 r. 45 k. to Delacroix for coiffeurs;
44 r. 25 k. Scipion for gloves and dress protectors;
7 r. 20 k. for the markings on handkerchiefs (one fourth);
358 r. to Brizak for her suits and altering of clothes;
256 r. 65 k. to Dancinger for cleaning clothes;
13 r. 50 k. to Ipatov for tortoise comb;
18 k. to Lezhoyev for lace (one fourth);
34 r. 61 k. to Woon Open Clever for dresses (half of the payment);
62 r. 82 k. to Swears and Wells, Ltd. for dresses (half);
318 r. 50 k. to their tailor Kitayev for suits;
1140 r. 75 k. to Brizak for clothes;
3 r. 25 k to Ipatov for combs;
28 r. to Mikhelson Store for clothes;
14 r. to Alexander Store for umbrella;
8 r. 22 k. to Swears and Wells for clothes (one fourth);
254 r. to Brizak for suits;
321 r. 39 k. to Guisser for clothes;
23 r. to Guisser for bedclothes (one fourth);
87 r. 65 k. to Frank Corer Co. from Darmstadt for dresses;
12 r. 10 k. for coiffeurs;
575 r. to Bertrand for hats;
815 r. to Weis for footwear;
34 r. to Kretova for Orenburg shawl and veils (one fourth).

I. Wardrobe Expenses.

In 1909 Henry Weis supplied Maria Nickolaevna with:

23 pairs of malieras (?) (some kind of footwear, none of the dictionaries I have has it) made of white kid, black kid, yellow kid, white canvas, bronze kid, pink kid - prices from 14 to 18 roubles; one pair of black high boots - 35 roubles; 3 pairs of demi-high boots (one pair of them made of black American calf-skin - 18 roubles, one pair made of black kid - 20 roubles, one pair made of white canvas - 20 r.); one pair of rubber galoshes - 2 r. 25 k.; 8 pairs of Polish demi- high boots (5 pairs of them were black and cost 5 roubles each, one pair made of white kid, one pair made of yellow kid, one pair made of white canvas with buttons); one pair of sandals - 3 r. 50 k.; one pair of shoes - 7 roubles; one pair of white canvas shoes with leather - 16 roubles; one pair of white felt fur-lined overshoes - 60 roubles. He also supplied her with buckles, insoles, lasts, laces, polish and paste. All in all H.Weis supplied her with 40 pairs of footwear in 1909. From January 1 to December 1, 1910 he supplied her with 32 pairs of boots and shoes and one pair of felt boots.

II. From May 22, 1909 to May 1910 Kitayev made for Maria Nickolaevna:

a grey suit with a silk lining of a foreign fabric - 115 roubles, a blue sheet-wadded silk-lined suit - 125 roubles, a blue cheviot suit with a downy silk-lined collar and cuffs of dark mink - 245 roubles, a suit in the English style with a silk lining and a pleated skirt -135 roubles. He also altered a suit - made a new fur, a new lining and made the slip longer - 40 roubles. He also altered Olga Nickolaevna's old suit for her - 35 roubles; made a long overcoat of hand- made linen - 35 roubles; made two skirts longer and bought some more fabric for that; made 3 skirts longer and broader and made new linings for them - 40 roubles; made 4 jackets broader and their sleeves longer - 40 roubles; made new belts for two skirts and made them broader - 15 roubles; altered the eldest sister's riding suit - the jacket, the skirt and the riding breeches - 50 roubles; mended a jacket - 7 roubles.

III. Magasin Anglais from May to October 1909 supplied Maria with:

17 pairs of silk and Lisle thread stockings and 6 jerseys - 34 roubles 50 k.

IV. From July 1909 to January 14, 1910 Dalberg supplied her with:

2 pairs of bathing shoes - 2 roubles, one bathing cap - 1 r. 25 k., 1 bathing suit - 17 roubles, 12 pairs of black Lisle thread stockings - 21 r., 1 striped knitted sweater - 5 r. 50 k., 6 pairs of white gloves - 4 r. 80 k., 1 white downy sweater - 4 r 50 k., 12 pairs of black woolen stockings - 24 roubles.

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