Photographs of the last Romanov ball in the Winter Palace (1903). Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovitch recalled the occasion as "the last spectacular ball in the history of the empire ... but a new and hostile Russia glared through the large windows of the palace ... while we danced, the workers were striking and the clouds in the Far East were hanging dangerously low."By Culture, Nov 11, 2026. 3 likes, 0 comments.