Many members of the Romanov dynasty were quite adept at drawing and painting. Their study of the subject began in childhood, taught by well-known artists who strove to develop within their most august pupils at least an amateur level of skill – the ability to depict what they see. The talent of quickly and accurately sketching their environs and creating technical blueprints were critical to the grand dukes, in part as a skill necessary for their future military service. But drawing also developed aesthetic taste and supplied them with useful social interaction skills. As adults, the Romanovs continued drawing in their albums and in letters to friends and loved ones.

Drawings by Alexander III, who received his initial training in drawing from Academy of Arts professor Nikolai Tikhobrazov, never surpassed the level of the average amateur with respect to quality. But Empress Marie Feodorovna (born Dagmar, a Danish princess) had inherited artistic abilities from her mother, Queen Louise, who was a zealous painter. After her arrival in Russia, Marie Feodorovna began taking lessons from artist Alexei Bogolyubov. Her Portrait of Grigory the Coachman, as well as her still-lifes, are notable for their fairly good mastery of oil painting techniques. These pieces are characterized by the care and scrupulousness with which they are executed. There is no sweeping artistic flair, but there is a deep love of detail and of the craft. Marie Feodorovna worked on each one of her paintings for extended periods, sometimes an entire year, in order to attain the highest possible level of technical perfection. The painterly manner of this royal artist reflected her views on art, which were sometimes also adopted by her spouse.

Pieces by the children of Alexander III and Marie Feodorovna bear witness to the amount of attention that was given to drawing in the children’s educational programme. The most successful of the children in this sphere was Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna. After the revolution, forced to leave the country and live abroad, she continued drawing and painting, finding in the activity one means of keeping her family alive. Much of the artistic heritage of the Romanov family is now found in the State Archive of the Russian Federation.