Here is another article-sketch about court life in tsarist Russia from March 1904. The article is authored by Charles Emory Smith, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Russia from 1890 to 1892 and subsequently became fascinated with it. It must be said, he describes St. Petersburg quite beautifully.
How vocabulary changes. 118 years ago, one could write “St.Petersburg is a gay and showy capital”.
He writes that royal balls were held in St. Petersburg five times a year, and that up to three thousand people gathered at them. He writes that “the tsar often drives through the streets unaccompanied, except by his coachman. I saw him in his sleigh without a footman and no one else beside, except a servant who held the reins.”
“…In Russia, there is a huge gap between the upper and lower classes. In large cities, where commerce predominates, there’s practically no middle class, which is so characteristic for America and England. Russian nobility differs from the English: titles are passed to all children, not just the eldest. In Russia, there are many princes, as well as counts and barons, who were introduced by Peter the Great in the style of Western Europe. However, the power of the court and the government differs, and despite intrigues, the court does not have as strong an influence as in other countries. The tsar holds absolute power, though it is somewhat limited by bureaucracy in the government. People are extremely devoted to the tsar, seeing in him not just the head of state, but also of the Church. His role unites religious and popular reverence, making autocracy strong.”
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