Paley Family Collection, 1896-1978

The Paley family were connected to Russian nobility and lived in Russia, Europe, and the United States throughout the late nineteenth and into twentieth centuries.

Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia (1860-1916) was the uncle of Nicholas II, Russia’s last monarch. Grand Duke Paul married Princess Alexandra of Greece (1879-1891) in 1889. Princess Alexandra died in childbirth, leaving Grand Duke Paul with two children, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (1890-1958) and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich (1891-1942). Grand Duke Paul was a member of the Imperial Russian Army and served in the same regiment as Erich A. von Pistohlkors (1854-1935). Through Imperial Russian Army connections, Grand Duke Paul became acquainted with Erich A. von Pistohlkors’s wife, who at the time was known as Olga von Pistohlkors (1865-1929).

Born Olga Karnovich, she is also known by her successive names: Olga von Pistohlkors, Countess von Hohenfelsen, and Princess Paley. The Karnovich family were wealthy Hungarian nobles who were allied with the great families of Russian nobility. In 1884, Olga married Erich A. von Pistohlkors, who orchestrated Olga’s entry into high society. Together, they had four children: Alexander (1885-1944), Olga (1886-1887), Olga (1888-1964), and Marianna (1890-1976). While the circumstances of their first encounter remain unclear, Olga and Grand Duke Paul began a relationship in 1893. Their secret relationship became known when Olga gave birth to Prince Vladimir (1897-1918).

After the birth of Prince Vladimir, Olga and Erich A. von Pistohlkhors agreed to a divorce, which had to be authorized by Nicholas II. The emperor granted permission for the divorce, in exchange for Grand duke Paul’s promise not to marry Olga. Olga’s status and rank prohibited any marriage with a member of the imperial family. Olga and Grand Duke Paul entered a morganatic marriage when they eloped in Livorno, Italy in 1902. Because of the scandal this caused, Grand Duke Paul was stripped of his official functions and duties, lost the custody of his children, and was forbidden to return to Russia. Now exiled, Olga and Grand Duke Paul traveled throughout Italy and Germany before settling in Paris in September 1902. In 1904, the Bavarian Court granted Olga the title of Countess von Hohenfelsen.

In Paris, Olga gave birth to two daughters: Princesses Irina (1903-1990) and Natalie (1905-1981). While in Paris, Olga began to amass an art collection to furnish their home, the former Yusupov mansion in Boulogne-Billancourt. Both Olga and Grand Duke Paul were involved in the Russian expatriate community and mingled with artists and writers.

Yearning for a return to Russia, Nicholas II granted Olga and Grand Duke Paul’s request for entry in 1908. They purchased a country house in Tsarkoye Selo. With their reentry into the imperial family and high society, Olga and her daughters received the princely title of Princess Paley. The name Paley is a reference to Olga’s maternal ancestor from the time of Peter the Great.

As the family settled in Russia, Prince Vladimir attended and graduated from the Corps des Pages, an aristocratic military school in St. Petersburg. He went on to join the Russian army and fought in World War I. In addition to his military pursuits, the prince was an accomplished poet. He was a prolific writer and published two volumes of poetry and wrote several plays and essays.

The changing political climate issued forth a revolution. Olga and Grand Duke Paul had their possessions confiscated. Prince Vladimir was arrested by the Bolsheviks and sent to Siberia, and Olga sent Irina and Natalie to Finland. In July 1918, twenty-one-year-old Prince Vladimir was executed in Siberia. Grand Duke Paul was executed in January 1919. Olga reconnected with her daughters in Finland before taking them to Paris. Olga died in Paris from breast cancer in 1929.

Princess Natalie Paley was born in Paris after Olga and Grand Duke Paul were exiled from Russia. Natalie became an enigmatic figure of the twentieth century and immersed herself in the world of art and literature. She was the confidant and muse to writers and poets, including Jean Cocteau, Erich Maria Remarque, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Cecil Beaton, Serge Lifar, Baron Niki de Gunzburg, and Noel Coward.

Olga, Irina, and Natalie were visible and influential figures in society. They devoted time to aid the Russian expatriate community in Paris, and their charitable efforts were documented in Women’s Wear Daily, Vogue Paris, and local publications including Biarritz illustre et Cote basque-Pyrenee. In 1926, Natalie held a charitable event at the studio of French couturier Lucien Lelong (1889-1952). Natalie married Lelong the following year in August 1927. Following the event, Women’s Wear Daily noted how Lelong dressed all three Paley women. Natalie pursued a modeling career with Yteb, a fashion atelier established by Baroness Elizabeth Hoyningen-Huene (1891-1973), the sister of Natalie’s friend and collaborator, fashion photographer George Hoyningen-Huene (1900-1968). Hoyningen-Huene studied with the American photographer Edward Steichen (1879-1973), who also photographed Natalie for Vogue Paris in the 1920s.

Natalie began her film career and established herself socially and professionally in New York and Los Angeles. In 1937, she sought a divorce from Lelong and made plans to remain in the United States. After her amicable divorce from Lelong, Natalie married the theatre producer, John C. Wilson (1899-1961), also known as Jack. Natalie appeared in the 1934 film The Private Life of Don Juan, directed by Alexander Korda, and she appeared alongside Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant in Sylvia Scarlett. She additionally appeared in French films, including Le Prince Jean (1934), directed by Jean de Marguenat, and L’Homme des Folies Bergere, directed by Roy Del Ruth. Natalie’s final film appearance was in Les Hommes nouveaux (1936).

Throughout the 1940s, Natalie collaborated with the artist Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) and she was featured in a number of his sketches. She entered an epistolary romance with the author Erich Maria Remarque, and she inspired him to create the character of Natasha in his 1971 novel, Shadows in Paradise. Natalie continued to be the muse for authors and artists, as she was the inspiration behind Noel Coward’s (1899-1973) character Joanna in Present Laughter, and Serge Lifar created the character named “Natasha” in his 1932 ballet, Sur le Borysthene.

Natalie’s marriage to Jack Wilson lasted until his death in 1961. She remained in New York City where she died in 1981.