8/21 February 1914

The pictures I took of Alexei and my sisters are finished. Last evening we pasted photographs in our photo albums, with Papa supervising as usual. He is so fussy, the least little smudge of paste disturbs him. I always seem to have more smudges than all the rest put together.

The picture of Alexei and Vanka turned out best – Alexei’s expression is quite imperial, and the old donkey, probably shivering under his thick gray hide, appears completely miserable.

I also took perfectly dreadful photographs of Olga and Mashka, in which Mashka looks fat and Olga looks stupid. I shall threaten to send them to their future husbands if they don’t treat me nicely. No matter how I try to catch her off-guard, Tatiana never looks fat and stupid.