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Tatiana Nikolaievna

© Anna Gruverman

Eighteen months after the birth of Olga, the Imperial Household was en route to welcoming another addition to the family. By May, all of Russia was bustling with excitement as Alix prepared to give birth to her second child. This pregnancy had been more difficult than the first one, and the young Empress was kept to her bed for seven weeks. The birth pangs began at night, and yet an entire commission of family members and doctors rapidly collected itself at her bedside. Holding its breath, Russia waited.

On May 29, 1897, a second little girl made her way into the Tsar’s family. Though she was not quite the heir the Court had hoped she would be, the parents and relatives were overjoyed. They were young and had years of youth before them, so there would be plenty of time for an heir. Meanwhile, they had the miracle of parenthood to relish. Once again, Tsar Nicholas’s diary radiates with joy:

“The second bright happy day in our family: at 10:40 in the morning the Lord blessed us with a daughter -- Tatiana. Poor Alix suffered all night without shutting her eyes for a moment, and at 8 o'clock went downstairs to Mama’s bedroom. Thank God this time it all went quickly and safely... Towards one o'clock the little one was bathed and Yanyshev read some prayers. Tatiana weighs 8¾ pounds and is 54cm long. Our eldest is very funny with her.”

She was a startlingly pretty baby, with wide, serious gray eyes and a somehow rapt expression on her brow, as though the world fascinated her immensely and she wished to contemplate it carefully from start to finish. Her name delighted the Russian people, for it was not usually considered aristocratic. Rather, it came from the working class, and to give it to a Grand Duchess was a beautiful and considerate gesture indeed on the part of the young Tsar and Tsarina.

From the very start of their relationship, Olga and Tatiana were inseparable. There was barely a year and a half between them, and that in itself was a strong bond. They did everything together, sharing all their toys and a bedroom. They exchanged nicknames, too -- Olga was “Olya” or “Olenka” and Tatiana was “Tanya” or “Tatya.” From babies to toddlers to children, they were beautiful, bright little girls, tenderly devoted to one another.

One spring when both were very young, Olga fell ill with typhoid fever, hastening the family’s move to their summer palace at Peterhoff, where doctors felt the little girl could benefit from sea air. When they arrived, she was put right to bed, and stayed there for the next five weeks, isolated so as not to spread the contagious disease.

Alix and her second baby	Baby Tatiana		Olga with her mother and baby sister Tatiana	Tatiana by a tree
Tatiana (left) and Olga with their father	Tatiana as a little girl	Tatiana in a sailor outfit	Tatiana making sure Marie and Anastasia don't fall	Young Tatiana
	Flirting with sailors	Tatiana as a girl	Tatiana with her mother
A formal portrait	Tatiana in profile	Tatiana Nikolaievna	Smiling and relaxed at home	Tatiana
A gorgeous portrait		A formal portrait	Olga (sitting) and Tatiana	Left to right -- Olga and Tatiana
Tatiana Nikolaievna	Tatiana in the Red Cross uniform	A model Grand Duchess	Tatiana Nikolaievna Romanova

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