An original signed photograph postcard of Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1876-1936), the princess shown standing, in formal dress, wearing the famous Strawberry Leaf Tiara of the House of Hesse, designed by her grandfather Prince Albert of England and executed by the jewelers Garrard for her mother's wedding, signed "Victoria Melita" at right and with the handwritten greeting "A Happy Xmas 1904" at left. With a caption at left noting that the Photograph taken by A. Gimm of Gotha. Dimensions: 5 1/2" x 3 3/8" (13.8 x 8.7 cm). Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh, known as Ducky among her European royal and imperial relations, was the third child of Albert, Duke of Edinburgh (1844-1900) and Maria, Duchess of Edinburgh (née Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Emperor Alexander II, 1853-1920). When her father became Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1893, her title was changed to reflect his new role. In 1894, she married Grand Duke Ernest Louis of Hesse and by Rhine (1868-1937), older brother of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia. The House of Hesse Strawberry Leaf Tiara must have been a favorite; she is frequently shown wearing it in formal photos. Indeed, this photo-postcard is dated 1904, three years after her divorce from Ernest Louis when she no longer had the right to wear the Grand Ducal jewels. She went on to marry Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich (1876-1938) of Russia in 1905 and took the name Grand Duchess Viktoria Feodorovna. The Strawberry Leaf Tiara remains in the possession of the House of Hesse. After the 1917 revolution and the murder of the Imperial family, Kirill Vladimirovich declared himself Emperor-in-exile, a claim Victoria supported until her death in 1936. On the tiara, see Geoffrey Munn, Tiaras: A History of Splendour , Antique Collectors' Club, 2001, pp. 102-103. On Victoria Melita's life, see Michael John Sullivan, A Fatal Passion: The Story of Victoria Melita, the Uncrowned Last Empress of Russia , Random House, 1997. 1407-051B

Overall very good condition