A Russian signed photograph of Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, 1899. The Empress shown standing with a pair of whites gloves in her hands, wearing her honorary uniform as Chief of Her Majesty’s Life Guard Cuirassiers (also known as the Gatchina Blue Cuirassiers) with the Sash of the Order of St. Andrew & the Star of the Order of St. Catherine. The photo embossed with the name of the photographer, A. Pasetti, at lower right. Signed in Cyrillic Mariia 1899at lower center.Mounted on card (with foxing) on navy blue & silver cards.

Dimensions (photograph only): 8 7/8 x 6 in. (22.5 x 15 cm).

Another edition of this photograph, unsigned, is held in the Royal Collections (RCIN 2926852).Alfred Pasetti (Пётр Анаклет Альфред Пазетти or Peter Anacleto Alfred Pasetti, 1850-1912) was born in St. Petersburg to an Italian father & German mother. He studied at the Imperial Academy of the Arts, but gave up traditional arts to become a photographer. By 1882, he had established a studio on Nevsky Prospect. His work came to the attention of Empress Maria Feodorovna & he soon received commissions to photograph members of the Imperial family & court in his studio as well as in the Imperial residences. Pasetti made many of the best-known photos of members of the Imperial family in the 1880s & 1890s & was awarded a Gold Medal at the 1900 Paris International Exposition.