Awwwww….
Nicholas II of Russia as a child with his mother, Maria Feoderovna, 1870
Beyond the sheer adorableness of the photo, I like how clearly her dress shows the bustle/crinoline transition that happened in the late 1860s and early 1870s.
Published on March 16, 2011
Cutest royal portrait ever
I’ve often felt that Nicholas II and his family got a really raw deal, and it was partly because they tried to be nice, even to people of lower station, instead of being warier and more formal, as most period royals did.
Nicky doesn’t look happy in this shot. I can’t imagine it was because he didn’t like it when Mommy carried him piggyback. Maybe he was afraid of the photographer?
Aww…little Nicky looks delighted to me! It is a bit hard with the old, smudgy photographs, and mama’s face has definitely been touched up.
And Nicholas did get a raw deal. His only mistake was to marry the girl he loved: Alix was perfect as a wife for him, but a terribly mistake as an empress. I’m glad I’m not royalty!
That is adorable and quite rare. I have never seen a photo like this.
Cute! I love to see old pictures that aren’t so stiff and arranged. Especially of royalty. It gives you the idea that they actually had real lives, with piggy-back rides and all. 🙂
that’s fantastic! i bet most royal mothers back then couldn’t be bothered to give their kids piggy back rides!