Tatiana and Ortino
Anyone with a small child has probably seen the animated Disney©
film "Anastasia", a retelling of the tale of the youngest daughter
of the Russian Imperial family. While highly fictionalized (to say
the least), the cartoon has fueled new interest in the true stories
of Tsar Nicholas Romanov and Empress Aleksandra. A recurring theme
in stories of the lives of the royal family is their love for pets
of all types. Historical records show that they owned a virtual menagerie
of dogs of assorted breeds, as well as numerous cats, parrots and
fish.
Of all the family's dogs, few are as frequently mentioned as "Ortino",
Princess Tatiana's French Bulldog. Tatiana was the second oldest of
the Tsar's daughters, and was seventeen years old at the time Ortino
came into her life. Excerpts from Tatiana's diary detail how she obtained
him, and how very fond she was of her pet -
1914 October 12
"Anya brought me from Malama a small French Bulldog (Ortino). It
is a very cute little thing - I am so happy."
1914 October 15
"We had dinner with father, mother and NP (Sablin, a family friend).
The dog was sitting with me... he is adorable."
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Tatiana,
Anastasia and Ortino
on the grounds of Alexandar Palace |
In the strict confines of the palace, the royal pets were allowed
amazing freedom to behave just as Frenchies in the most casual households
still do today. Ortino and Olga's cat Vaska were special favorites
of the family, and had free run of the palace. In a scene familiar
to all owners of French Bulldogs, Ortino and Vaska would chase one
another across furniture and table tops, knocking over priceless objects
and scattering papers in the process. Rather than being scolded, these
antics proved the royal family with a great deal of amusement.
Tatiana mentions Ortino's playful nature in letters to her father,
saying "My doggy Ortino was running about the room and playing during
the teatime. It is so funny and sweet", and "We are sitting in Mother's
room after dinner. Olga and Mother are playing "Colorito" and Ortino
is running about the room like a mad dog". Hardly a letter or diary
entry fails to make some little mention of Ortino, and her words convey
eloquently how much she treasured him. She describes Ortino as snoring
gently at her feet, and even indulgently describes his occasional
"accident".
Ortino was Tatiana's constant companion and she was rarely seen without
him at her side. Like most Frenchies, Ortino insisted he be allowed
to sleep with Tatiana at the foot of her bed every night. Apparently,
some things about French Bulldogs never change - Ortino snored quite
loudly, which disturbed Tatiana's sister Olga, with whom she shared
a room. Anastasia complained about it in her journal, writing "When
we are asleep at night, all of us sisters are kept awake by Ortino,
Tatiana's French Bulldog, who snores. We have tried everything, but
nothing works!" Ortino and Vaska would also disturb the sisters sleep
with the occasional game of tag, but Tatiana could not be persuaded
to have Ortino sleep with the other family dogs.
It seems even royalty are not immune to "Frenchie Fever" - the feeling
that "If one is fun, more will be marvelous!" The Romanov's owned
at least two French Bulldogs, as this excerpt from Grand Duchess Anastasia's
diary details.
1914 November 30
|
Faberge
Rock Crystal Statue of Ortino
From the Hermitage Museum Collection |
|
"Now we've got another charming French (Bull) puppy, Bille. She is
so sweet. She is so charming when she plays with (Tsarevitch) Aleksey's
dog. They are quite mad and race across the floor so fast they tumble
into walls and furniture. We cannot stop laughing at them."
As pampered imperial pets, simple leather collars would simply not
do. Both Olga's cat Vaska and Ortino wore custom collars encrusted
with semi precious stones, hand crafted with Faberge, the Royal jeweler.
Tatiana also had a collection of figures of Ortino carved by Faberge
in semi precious stones and rock crystal. These reminders of a Princess'
love for her pet have been dispersed around the world, and one may
be found in the collection of the Cleveland Museum.
The placid life of the Romanov's came to and end after the Bolshevik
revolution in 1917, when they were forced into exile by the new communist
regime. Even during this most difficult time in her life, Tatiana
refused to part with Ortino. He is last mentioned in first hand accounts
of family's flight, which detail Tatiana "struggling to carry Ortino
while dragging a suitcase through ankle deep mud and a howling crowd
at the Yekaterinaburg train station". Just two months later,
at midnight on June 16th 1918, Tatiana and her entire family were
executed.
In the late '90's, excavations were done to recover the remains of
the royal family from the mine shaft where they had been flung after
their executions. There, among their bones, were found the remains
of what was described as a 'small terrier type dog' and which are
assumed to be those of Ortino. His bones were taken along with those
of the Royal family, and interred with due ceremony and respect in
the family crypt in Moscow. Even in death, Ortino and Tatiana have
not been separated.
