The collection of the Ivanovo Museum of Local History named after Dmitry Burylin presents a woman’s portrait with an unusual history. For a long time, the museum staff could not identify the portrayed woman. All records mention the work as “Portrait of an Unknown Woman”. It was the historian Yevgeny Pchelov, who visited the museum in 2005, who was able to finally recognize the sitter. It turned out that the painting depicted the daughter of Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine — Empress Maria Alexandrovna (1824–1880).
Maria Alexandrovna was the wife of Emperor Alexander II and the mother of Emperor Alexander III. The couple was married for almost forty years. For a long time, their marriage was considered exemplary and happy. But the death of their eldest son Nicholas changed everything. In 1865, Tsarevich died from tubercular meningitis in Nice at the age of 21. Maria Alexandrovna was heartbroken. According to the recollections of Olga Nikolaevna, Emperor Alexander II’s sister, Maria Alexandrovna was “dead inside, and her body continued living in a mechanical way.” While the Empress could not recover from the tragedy, Alexander II fell in love with someone else — Princess Catherine Dolgorukova. Together, they had four children.
The empress’ accomplishments were highly appreciated by her contemporaries. It was through Maria Alexandrovna’s efforts that the Red Cross was established in Russia. She also laid the foundation for a new kind of women’s education — open class-inclusive women’s educational institutions. Maria Alexandrovna played a significant part in the abolishment of serfdom in Russia. Over time, the empress’ health was seriously declining as she was weakened by numerous childbirths and sufferings caused by her husband’s infidelity and the deaths of her loved ones. On June 3, 1880, she died of consumption at the age of 56. In July 1880, Alexander II entered a morganatic marriage with Princess Catherine Dolgorukova before the one-year mourning period ended. This marriage came as a blow to his children from Maria Alexandrovna, who adored their mother. The emperor’s daughter Maria wrote to him:
