Photograph of the Grand Duchess Maria PAVLOVNA of Russia the Younger

Photography

Identifier2025.5.5.7.PH.OT.C1935.US

Description

Photograph of Grand Duchess Maria PAVLOVNA of Russia operating a large-format camera in her New York portrait studio. The composition captures her in an animated, almost demonstrative pose beside the camera, one hand raised as if directing a subject, while the other holds a cable release, suggesting active control over the photographic process. The studio setting is defined by the presence of the professional bellows camera mounted on a tripod, partially draped with a dark cloth used for focusing.
Maria is dressed in a refined yet practical studio ensemble, consisting of a tailored skirt suit in a dark-toned fabric. The jacket is softly structured, with a clean, elongated line and minimal ornamentation, the sleeves are long and fitted, extending to the wrists, where a simple ring is visible on her hand. The jacket is worn open over a lighter blouse with darker skirt that introduces contrast at the neckline
A prominent element of her attire is a substantial beaded necklace composed of large, rounded beads, worn close to the neckline, which lends a decorative and slightly modernist accent to the otherwise restrained outfit. Maria hair is styled in a neat, waved coiffure characteristic of the period, parted and closely arranged to the head, framing her face with controlled volume. Her expression is engaged and lively, with a slight smile, reinforcing the impression of her role not only as a photographer but as an active director of the scene before her.

Maria PAVLOVNA the Younger (1890-1958) was a Russian grand duchess, the daughter of Grand Duke Paul ALEXANDROVICH, youngest son of Tsar Alexander II, and Princess Alexandra of Greece. A prominent figure in the Romanov exile community after the Russian Revolution, she lived in Europe and the U.S., where she worked as a fashion designer and wrote a memoir, Education of a Princess (1930).

Material

Photograph

Origin

vers 1935 New York, United States

Dimensions

Length : 21 cm
Height : 16.5 cm