Editor’s Note: These days, the relationship between the United States and Russia can be described as “complicated.” But more than a century ago, in simpler times, Memphis put on quite a party when the 22-year-old son of the Russian czar visited America as part of a goodwill tour and made a five-day stop here. This story originally appeared in our June 1985 issue.
On a cold February afternoon in 1872, a dozen prominent Memphians impatiently stood in the sleet and snow at the railroad station in Bartlett. They were anxiously awaiting the arrival of a special train from Louisville carrying a rather select group of passengers: It would include the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia and other foreign dignitaries, escorted by none other than General George A. Custer. The Grand Duke’s five-day stay in Memphis — part of a goodwill journey across America — would create a sensation here and overshadow the upcoming Mardi Gras activities. His visit was an important event in our city’s social history, for it was to be the city’s first brush with royalty.
The members of the reception committee carefully selected to greet the Grand Duke’s train were understandably nervous. His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke was the son of Alexander II, the czar of Russia. Memphis had no experience with such a person. How would he dress, and act? More important, how would we dress and act? And how could our proud city hope to entertain such a royal personage during his stay here?
The “Grand Ducal Ball” would turn out to be the most lavish celebration our city had ever known. No expense would be spared, for, as an Avalanche editorial noted: “It is but right that Memphis should put on the best appearance possible, so that she may be talked of with admiration and wonder in the courts of Europe.”
Other cities along the Duke’s route across the U.S. had responded with elaborate (and to modern minds, a bit embarrassing) performances for Alexis. Topeka, for instance, persuaded 57 of its citizens to hail the Grand Duke’s arrival with this interesting ode, sung to the tune of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”:
GRAND DUKE ALEXIX IMAGE COURTESY BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY. Peabody Hotel courtesy Lauderdale COLLECTION
Grand Duke Alexis of Russia
With her Russian-loving sisters in a fitting welcome cry?
Let her heart have full expression, and the answer echo high —
The Czar and Grant are friends!
Chorus:
Ho, for Russia and the Union!
Ho, for Russia and the Union!
Ho, for Russia and the Union!
The Czar and Grant are friends!
Grant was, of course, President U.S. Grant. The Memphis Daily Avalanche’s response to this effort was succinct: “How stupid.” Unfortunately, we have no record of the Grand Duke’s opinion.
In Memphis, an entertainment committee was formed, which finally agreed to adopt a more subtle approach. Winter weather would preclude any outdoor celebration, and the length of the Grand Duke’s stay here was uncertain. It was rumored he would arrive by train on Friday and leave the next day by steamboat. The committee decided, therefore, to reserve quarters for Alexis and his company at the Peabody Hotel (the first one) and entertain him that night with a ball at the Overton Hotel.
The “Grand Ducal Ball” would turn out to be the most lavish celebration our city had ever known. No expense would be spared, for, as an Avalanche editorial noted: “It is but right that Memphis should put on the best appearance possible, so that she may be talked of with admiration and wonder in the courts of Europe.”
Memphis’ international reputation was of secondary concern to the Peabody and Overton hotel proprietors, city merchants, and the 600 ladies and gentlemen fortunate enough to be “invited” (after paying $10) to the ball. Everyone involved faced a battle with time: The Grand Duke had approved the arrangements only two weeks in advance.
A frenzy of activity surrounded the two hotels concerned. At the Peabody, 24 rooms on two floors were reserved for the ducal party and extensively redecorated to make them indeed “fit for a prince.” The hotel spent more than $10,000 for expensive wallpaper, delicate lace curtains, plush Brussels carpet, ornate mirrors, and glittering chandeliers. Paintings by prominent Memphis artist Carl Gutherz were acquired for the Duke’s personal suite. Outside, splendid new gas lamps were installed at the hotel entrance, and the building was draped with huge American and Russian flags.
“The toast and pride of the Lowensteins is that Alexis shall say the ladies of Memphis are the best-dressed, most accomplished, graceful, and beautiful of all the daughters of America.”
A few blocks away at the Overton, preparations were equally lavish — and frantic. An order was placed in Mobile, Alabama, for $3,000 worth of flowers, including one magnificent bouquet three feet across for the Duke’s table. Teams of men were sent into the woods in search of evergreen boughs to decorate and perfume the ballroom. Rush orders for food, cakes, fruit, and delicacies were placed with area merchants; what could not be furnished in Memphis was shipped by steamboat from New Orleans. Mr. Robbins, the Overton manager, lamented that if he only had more time, he would have purchased new chandeliers for the entire hotel.
And in hundreds of households throughout the city, there was one paramount question: “What shall I wear?” To help the ladies with this all-important decision, B. Lowenstein and Brothers announced in The Daily Appeal that they had a fine assortment of evening silk in all the newest shades — lavender, white, silver, pink, and something called “Ashes of Paris,” as well as all kinds of trimmings lace, thread, and party fans. After all: “The toast and pride of the Lowensteins is that Alexis shall say the ladies of Memphis are the best-dressed, most accomplished, graceful, and beautiful of all the daughters of America.”
The first Peabody Hotel was located on Main Street. This hand-colored postcard shows how the property looked in the early 1900s.
It seemed an impossible task, but all the preparations were ready by the time the five cars of the Grand Duke’s train chugged into Bartlett. There the reception committee boarded the train and escorted their important guests to the Memphis & Louisville station on Main Street. Colonel R.A. Pinson, in charge of the escort, recalled his surprise that the noble duke seemed so … well, human. Alexis was dressed in an ordinary blue traveling suit and red cravat, he observed, not quite the ermine and gold robes that Memphians expected (and no doubt hoped for). The young man himself was regular enough, slightly over six feet tall, with blond hair combed back from his forehead and bushy muttonchop sideburns. After greeting the Duke, Pinson concluded that Alexis had an appearance “both pleasing and handsome,” but confided later he detected “a lack of intelligence in the eyes and the general expression of the face.”
Others, straining to peer into the Duke’s carriage, had different needs to satisfy. “I’ve seen an elephant at a sideshow with a tail at both ends of him,” claimed a hackney coach driver. “And I’ve seen a man who couldn’t talk. And I wanted to add a prince to add to the other strange things.”
At the Downtown station, the Duke’s party transferred to a row of fine carriages, and many of the belles who glimpsed the Duke at the time would have disagreed with Pinson’s criticism. Said one excited young lady: “Oh, I think even the Sleeping Beauty could not have wished to be awakened by a sweeter prince than this!”
Hundreds of people of all ages and classes lined the route to the hotel, and many more clambered onto rooftops or hung out open windows, waving flags, banners, and handkerchiefs at their royal visitor. Most had braved the cold expressly for the purpose of seeing just what a real duke looked like. As the Avalanche put it, “Alexis is the first specimen of ducal architecture exhibited on these shores, and the desire is general to discover the extent to which he resembles ordinary mortals. It isn’t every day that six feet of Grand Duke visit Memphis.”
Others, straining to peer into the Duke’s carriage, had different needs to satisfy. “I’ve seen an elephant at a sideshow with a tail at both ends of him,” claimed a hackney coach driver. “And I’ve seen a man who couldn’t talk. And I wanted to add a prince to add to the other strange things.” One citizen came Downtown to confirm that the Grand Duke was indeed a Black man; he was profoundly surprised to discover that he wasn’t, because he had been told that Russia was peopled solely by Blacks.
Arriving at the Peabody, the Duke had to push his way through the cheering crowd at the entrance. “I touched his coat, “ screamed one woman in his ear, as Alexis brushed past her. Even then, the demand for a glimpse of royalty was so great that Alexis, to quiet the noisy throng outside, awkwardly crawled through a parlor window onto a balcony and bowed to the people standing below.
overton hotel postcard courtesy historic-memphis.com
The grand ball at the Overton Hotel that night exceeded everyone’s expectations — perhaps even the Grand Duke’s. Memphis had never seen anything like it. The great ballroom literally sparkled, its beautiful floral decorations illuminated by hundreds of brilliant gas lights installed just for the occasion. Emblazoned in lamps around the huge central chandelier were the words WELCOME TO ALEXIS, and other lights above the doors of the room spelled out RUSSIA AND AMERICA. Red, white, and blue bunting, interlaced with evergreens, hung from the walls and ceilings, and large American and Russian flags draped each end of the long room. Added to the spectacle were the brilliantly colored gowns, robes, and jewels of 600 guests, and an atmosphere of gaiety and entertainment at being at a dance with royalty — real royalty, not the Mardi Gras variety.
The Avalanche, as usual, was ecstatic: “Oh, the light and the trains, the glare of jewels, the flash of bright eyes, the scintillations of white and red from the cheeks of marvelous beauty; the forms ethereal; the flying feet, twinkling like stars and falling as noiselessly as snowflakes; the ripple of laughter, the light jest, the subdued words of praise, flattery, and endearment; the billows of silk and satin and velvet; the variegated clouds of lace that floated through the hall, like the drapery of beings not of earth, but of spheres celestial, or of places enchanted …” and on and on.
Between dances, Alexis politely shook their hands and exchanged pleasantries with them, speaking softly in English with a distinct German accent. (The Duke’s English, it must be admitted, was limited. As the Avalanche tactfully put it, “Many of his sentences would not look good in print.”
Alexis himself appeared in formal dress, as did the other members of his entourage, a row of diamond studs on his waistcoat the only signs of his great wealth. He obviously enjoyed himself that night, and surprised many by apparently forgetting his aristocratic upbringing and mingling with as many of the “commoners” as he could. A most eligible bachelor, he happily found himself surrounded by beautiful young ladies, and to many people that night it must have seemed a dream come true — they had actually been dancing with a duke!
The gentlemen were not ignored, either. Between dances, Alexis politely shook their hands and exchanged pleasantries with them, speaking softly in English with a distinct German accent. (The Duke’s English, it must be admitted, was limited. As the Avalanche tactfully put it, “Many of his sentences would not look good in print.”
The dancing continued for hours, and the Grand Duke joined in every set. His skill on the floor, however, was reportedly eclipsed by another famous guest present — General Custer, a fact that might have surprised historians more familiar with the man’s military accomplishments (and failures) than his dancing skills.
Afterwards, the entire company adjourned to the supper rooms, and the sights and aromas here perfectly complemented the grandeur of the ballroom. Table after table was piled high with steaming platters of pheasant, chicken, roast, and even lobster. Crystal dishes held an array of delicacies: salads, figs, jellies, cakes, candies, pies, ice cream, and other marvels.
card courtesy historic-memphis.com
A card for the special train that carried the Grand Duke Alexis across America.
The centerpiece of the Grand Duke’s table was a gleaming white pagoda fully five feet high, its many balconies and turrets crowned with miniature cupids and eagles waving Russian flags — all made entirely of sugar. Other tables were adorned with confectionery castles, vases, and even a Russian man o’war battleship complete with guns and rigging.
It was a bewildering display of culinary art, a banquet unlike any other, as the Avalanche observed: “It has been our task on many occasions to describe the tables spread for festive affairs, from the celebrated opening of the Gayoso Hotel downward, but we never saw a display for gorgeousness, taste, and beauty that equaled that of the Overton Hotel last night.”
Alexis, however, seemed unimpressed. A man who reportedly spent $3,500 a day on clothing and meals in Europe was probably used to such extravagances. Besides, he had his mind on other things, chiefly the Memphis women. His dancing partners noticed with some dismay that the Grand Duke, though polite to everyone, obviously preferred the company of one Miss Bettie Vance (a “saucy brunette,” according to the newspaper). He managed to dance with her most of the evening, and she afterwards joined him at his table for dinner.
At the end of the night, he invited her to accompany the ducal party onwards to New Orleans, and she accepted. This news probably broke 300 hearts that night, but there was no sensation of scandal. Miss Vance would, of course, be chaperoned on the journey by her father, who, it turned out, even closed his business to do so — in hopes of seeing his daughter become a duchess, no doubt.
After such a lavish display of Memphis hospitality, the rest of Alexis’ stay here was surely anticlimactic. He had originally planned to leave the next afternoon (Saturday), but the steamer Grand Republic, which had been refurbished just for his use, had become ice-bound near Louisville. As a result, the Grand Duke remained in Memphis until Tuesday, while other transportation arrangements were sought.
Over the weekend, Mayor John Overton showed his royal guests the various sights of the city, inspecting the markets, several cotton classing rooms and presses, the new public school building on Market Street, and oddly enough, the city jail.
On his last night in Memphis, the Peabody held another dance for the Duke, but it was a more subdued affair than that at the Overton, with only 40 couples present. Afterwards, Alexis and a companion (Miss Vance, perhaps?) left the hotel for a short walk. Upon returning, he amused himself by briefly joining the eager crowd still gathered outside his hotel window, hoping for a glimpse of him.
Finally, the Grand Duke’s departure was arranged, and he and his entourage (with Miss Vance and her papa) left Tuesday morning aboard the steamer James Howard. At his own request, Alexis was presented with a bale of our finest cotton and a deed for one square foot of the Memphis bluffs. If we can believe the Avalanche (and I’m not sure we can), his Imperial Highness actually shed tears upon his departure, saying he wished he had lived upon our beloved bluffs “a full twenty-seven years” — a strange statement indeed, since the Duke was then just 22 years old. Even more remarkable, Alexis supposedly requested that extra copies of the Avalanche be sent home with home, and filed in the Imperial Russian Archives as “cheerful literature.”
When the Howard pulled out and turned downstream, the large crowd at the landing and along the bluffs cheered and waved. The Grand Duke stood on the foredeck and doffed his hat, while the other boats in port blew their whistles in salute. With a few minutes, the steamer had passed out of sight downstream. The royal celebration was over.
