The Children of Tsar Nicholas II (from left to right): Grand Duchess Olga, Tsesarevich Alexei,
Grand Duchess Tatiana, Grand Duchess Maria, Grand Duchess Anastasia - OTMAA
ISBN: 978-1-927604-37-3 / Available December 2019

After much delay, the first such Collectors Edition OTMAA: A Photobiography, is scheduled for publication in late 2019. This tribute to the children of Tsar Nicholas II, tells the story of the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia, and their brother, the Tsesarevich Alexei, through a rich collection of photographs and words.

OTMA was an acronym created by the four daughters of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia and his consort, Alexandra Feodorovna, as a group nickname for themselves, built from the first letter of each girl's name in the order of their births. In recent years, their brother's name was added to create OTMAA.

These four beautiful young women and their younger brother, the last Heir to the Russian throne were the children of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

Their world was a private one, shared by few outsiders. They spent much of their short lives in the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, the Lower Dacha at Peterhof and Livadia, their residence in the Crimea. Here they were fussed over by nannies and educated by tutors. The enormous parks which surrounded the palaces became their private playground, where they enjoyed walks with their beloved papa, and played the same games enjoyed by most other children their ages. They were the center of their loving parents’ tightly sheltered inner world.

Over the past 30 years I have amassed an enormous collection of photographs of the last Imperial family of Russia. These include original photographs, photo cards, postcards, and reproductions. Most of these I purchased from dealers during my many visits to Russia over the years, while others were donated to Royal Russia. Many of these photographs from my personal collection will be reproduced in this new publication.

OTMAA will present the Imperial children at home, at play, taking their lessons, and in public, where they were under the watchful and curious eye of the Russian people. The images come to life with anecdotes from letters, diaries and personal observations by those who knew them or met them, each of whom failed to fall under the spell of their charm and childlike innocence.

This photobiography tells the story of these five children through an absorbing collection of photographs reflecting the happier days of their lives, before the Bolsheviks swept them to a violent death, one they sadly shared with their beloved parents.

OTMAA: A Photobiography of the Children of Tsar Nicholas II is a celebration of their lives.