The Romanovs' final days, as seen through the eyes of Anastasia

Updated



By RYAN GORMAN

Stunning images of the Russian imperial family have emerged nearly 100 years to the date they were taken.

The Romanov portraits were shot between 1915 and 1916, only months before their 1917 execution at the hands of Lenin Communists. The black and white photos were then hand-colored by daughter Anastasia.

Pictures show Tsar Nicholas II, wife Alexandra, son Alexei, and daughters Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia in various poses around the royal grounds -- seemingly oblivious to the simmering revolt that would soon boil over into the February Revolution.

Though the entire Romanov family was executed after the Communists assumed control of St. Petersburg, the royal capital, and Moscow, Anastasia's name has far outlived her.

The young duchess was killed at only 17 years old, but has been the subject of countless books and movies, including the 1997 animated film "Anastasia."

She was also briefly mentioned in the a Rolling Stones song "Sympathy for the Devil."

Anastasia was brutally murdered along with the rest of her family after being awoken in the middle of the night by revolutionary soldiers, according to Biography.

The royals were ordered to get dressed as they were led to a basement of the home in which they were hiding before being executed along with servants and even the family dog.

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