Central News
Topfoto.co.uk. In Copyright
Princess Maria (or Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna) was the granddaughter of Alexander II, the emperor of Russia between 1855 and 1881. Early in life, her mother passed away and her father was banished after having remarried a commoner. Maria and her brother Dmitri were raised in Moscow by their uncle Sergei Alexandrovich and Elizabeth Feodorovna, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. After having served as a nurse until the fall of the Russian monarchy, Maria and her second husband, Prince Sergei Putyatin, fled to Bucharest and London. They eventually settled in Paris in 1920. Here, Maria opened “Kitmir”: an embroidering atelier that achieved great success, counting Coco Chanel among its clientele. This stately photograph dates from 27 February 1925, after Maria had divorced Sergei and before her fashion business started to wane. She would eventually sell up in 1928 and emigrate to London, New York, Argentina and Germany.
