Now that's a historical selfie! A teen Grand Duchess Anastasia is seen capturing her own reflection in 1913 Russia

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 18:10 EST, 26 November 2013 | UPDATED: 19:15 EST, 26 November 2013

It seems that the selfie, a tech-enabled self portrait, existed long before social media.

The Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last sovereign of Imperial Russia, took her very own selfie in 1913 -- five years before her untimely death.

Using a Kodak Brownie, a camera released in 1900, and a mirror to capture her own likeness, the then 13-year-old is seen gazing at herself with curiosity.

The Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last sovereign of Imperial Russia, took her very own selfie in 1913 -- five years before her untimely death

The Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last sovereign of Imperial Russia, took her very own selfie in 1913 -- five years before her untimely death

The Grand Duchess, who was executed with her family in an extrajudicial killing by members of the Cheka, the Bolshevik secret police, on July 17, 1918, appears to be one of the first teenagers to take a picture of herself.

 

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By stabilizing the camera a chair while adjusting the focus via a viewfinder at the top of the box, Anastasia was able to snap her own reflection to send to a friend in 1914.

According to Alexander Palace Time Machine, in the letter that accompanied the photograph dated October, 28, 1914, she wrote: 'I took this picture of myself looking at the mirror. It was very hard as my hands were trembling.'

The Grand Duchess, who was executed with her family in an extrajudicial killing by members of the Cheka, the Bolshevik secret police, on July 17, 1918, appears to be one of the first teenagers to take a picture of herself

The Grand Duchess, who was executed with her family in an extrajudicial killing by members of the Cheka, the Bolshevik secret police, on July 17, 1918, appears to be one of the first teenagers to take a picture of herself

Anastasia was a younger sister of Grand Duchess Olga, Grand Duchess Tatiana, and Grand Duchess Maria, and was an elder sister of Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia.

For nearly 100 years she was the subject of countless legends, impostors and Hollywood films after persistent rumors of her possible escape circulated after her death, fueled by the fact that the location of her burial was unknown until 2007.

The remains of the tsar, his wife and three of their daughters were discovered in a grave near Ekaterinburg in 1991, which were authenticated by DNA tests.

Anastasia, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last sovereign of Imperial Russia, was a younger sister of Grand Duchess Olga, Grand Duchess Tatiana, and Grand Duchess Maria, and was an elder sister of Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia

Anastasia, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, was a younger sister of Grand Duchess Olga, Grand Duchess Tatiana, and Grand Duchess Maria, and was an elder sister of Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia

For years, people all over the world claimed to be a Romanov survivor, most famously a woman named Anna Anderson, who continued to insist that she was the real Anastasia, who was also 17 in 1918, until her death.

However DNA testing in 1994 on available pieces of Anderson's tissue and hair showed no relation to the DNA of the imperial family.

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Beautiful clothes back then!

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Absolutely fascinating. LIke you would've seen a kid doing the same thing yesterday, but in B&W; and with different clothes. Really humanizing.

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Anna Anderson is still a mystery. I read that she could tell many things that she wouldn't have known if she were not Anastasia.

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Or coached by people wanting to cash in...

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this article exemlifies everything that is wrong with this generation

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GOOD GRIEF! My family are Shovaloff/Rostovsky, we have photos taken of my relatives playing with these children, there are many "selfies" why is this newsworthy? Camera's were new, it is hardly a revelation that those who had them took pictures of themselves!

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Who the heck cares about your family?

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It was not really a revolution, but actually a coup d'etat carried out by a minority that elevated themselves to top status, in order to destroy Christian culture and enslave the majority. The same thing is now happening in the West, but this time by stealth.

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A minority that cannot be named in this paper.

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Bless the poor girl,what a dreadful time the Russian Royal Family had and the irony is the Russians wish they had a Royal Family now.

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Wht makes you think the Russians want a Royal Family now? The Monarchists constantly do very badly in elections, which would indicate that the Russians are not as backward as you suggest. However, at least Putin and the current nationalist Russian government is repairing the damage inflicted on the country by the Communists, and then by the treasonous incompetence of Yeltsin.

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Angry, you may want to change your moniker to "Wishful Thinker." Putin is not fixing anything from the communists. He is just as ruthless now as he was when he was KGB.

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For Goodness sake, your childish ill educated staff get hold of a "trendy"? word and beat it to death,Selfie? is this an adult newspaper or a comic edited and written by the mentally challenged??

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I think the picture is creepy.

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A Moment in Time of a Doomed Princess !!!

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