Evening shirt

This evening shirt was given to the collection in a presentation box from A La Vieille Russie, a purveyor of historic Russian objects, as having belonged to Czar Nicholas II of Russia. The garment itself is of excellent quality, extremely well-made and of fine linen. The name “Maullé" can be found along with the royal cipher and Romanov double-headed eagle under the button tab at the waist. According to Alexander Palace archives, Maullé was not only the Czar's barber, but also purveyor of his shirts, socks, and ties, and provider of monogramming, laundry and mending services.

A La Vieille Russie was founded in Kiev in 1851. It was reestablished in Paris in 1921 after the Russian Revolution. The New York branch opened in 1941. The donor, Alastair Bradley Martin, was a grandson of Henry Phipps (1839-1930) who, with Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), was a partner in Carnegie Steel. His parents, Bradley Martin (1873-1963) and Helen Phipps (1876-1934), were hosts of the famous 1897 Bradley Martin Ball. Alastair Bradley Martin and his wife, Edith Parks (1917-1989), have given significant works of art to many American museums.