Friday, January 30, 2009

Princess Alexandra Victoria seeks US citizenship

 

January 30, 1929

Princess Alexandra Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein has stated her intention to become an American citizen. During the last three years, the princess, who divorced Kaiser Wilhelm II's son, Prince August Wilhelm, in 1920, has spent much time in the USA. The princess says she intends to support herself as a painter.

It appears that the princess will become the first member of the former Imperial court to seek American citizenship. She said today that she has always been interested in art and painting, and has painted since childhood. Her work has been exhibited in Europe, but her first American exhibit of chalk drawings, watercolors, and pastels, will open on February 5 at the Grand Central Art Galleries.

The Princess says that "painting in this country interests her intensely," and she hopes to paint Western canvasses.

She knows that succeeding here as an artist will be difficult, and she spoke frankly with reporters: "But the very things that make success difficult here also make life stimulating. The competition spurs one on to do better and better work. Here one sees new things from all parts of the world; and meets constantly new people. And I like the tendency here to make work something of a sport, and the feeling of people that even though they have means they must themselves accomplish something."

Princess Alexandra Victoria and her husband, Commander Arnold Ruemann, live in a modest apartment, which is "crowded with examples of her work awaiting exhibition."

Commander Ruemann, who once served in the Imperial German Navy, said he and his wife both intend to seek American citizenship.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

So what happened? Did she become an American, spending the rest of her days painting? She sounds like a romantic, but a headstrong one.

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

don't know. She must have went back to Germany because that's where she died. She and her second husband were divorced in 1933.

Unknown said...

I saw a painting of hers in a private collection of her son.
Not bad!