Mathilde Kschessinskaya
Mathilde Kschessinskaya (Russian: Матильда Феликсовна Кшесинская, family origin Polish: Matylda Krzesińska) (31 August [OS 19 August] 1872; Ligovo, near Peterhof — 6 December 1971; Paris), (also known as Her Serene Highness Princess Romanova-Krasinskaya since 1921), she is probably best known for her love affair with the future Emperor Nicholas II.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
@lostsplendour – oh it’s not your fault! It is an “urban legend” of the ballet world that K. was named “assoluta” in 1896. It is very interesting in fact.
@mrlopez2681 Thanks for the precision and sorry for the mistake.
it is significant to note that Kschessinskaya was likely never named “assoluta” until just before retirement. The evidence tells an unbelievable story of how K. used her influence to obtain top billing on theatre posters & to, eventually, obtain the roles of the only “assoluta” actually officially named by Petipa, Pierina Legnani. No Russian archive supports her ever obtaining such a title until ca. 1910.
She was Polish like Nizynski
. I am pround of them 
Mathilda Felixovna married Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich and he was the only one of the Romanov family to acknowledge Anna Anderson as the Tsar’s daughter Anastasia. Fascinating, eh?
She wrote an autobiography in the 1950′s. She was the Tsarevich’s mistress until he married. In the revolution she lost her mansion, jewels, furs, but escaped with her life. Later she married a Grand Duke, with the permission of the surviving Romanov Empress. They had a son. She taught ballet in Paris. These photos are striking, and show her character. Try to find the autobiography on Amazon.
Lovely – I bet she was a steely strong woman. That looks like Tatiana Riabouchinska in the ballet studio – one of her pupils in Paris, and one of the three “Baby Ballerinas”.
Wonderful compilation, the most pictures I’ve seen of her!
She married into the Romanov family after the Revolution and was created Princess. She was not born a Romanov, just married one of The Grand Dukes.
I think she was last to survive from those of the emperal family or some how related to them. Or how about the brothers of Irina Aleksandrovna ? They were however much younger than this lady.