Antique Image of the Day: Frame and Photograph of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth, 1905

Frame by Fabergé, 1903
Two-color gold, silver-gilt, guilloché enamel,
pearls, and mother-of-pearl
Photograph: Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna
1905
Purchased by Tsar Nicholas II
The Royal Collection

In this frame of two-color gold, silver-gilt, guilloché enamel, pearls, and mother-of-pearl (by Fabergé), lies a curious photograph of a woman with a noble face in the guise of a cleric. Is it a souvenir of a fancy dress ball? No, it’s an actual photograph of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna (Grand Duchess Sergei) from around 1905.

After the assassination of her husband, Grand Duke Sergei, Governor of Moscow in 1905, Elizabeth, along with her sister, founded a religious order which they called The Community of Martha and Mary. She appointed herself the abbess—as one does.

During the First World War, The Community of Martha and Mary tended to wounded soliders. The frame (which actually dates to 1903) was purchased by Tsar Nicholas II who later used it to display this photo.