I need to know are there any experts that can verify some Russian photos that I have,no luck so far?

Question

I bought an old album at a swap meet and it has some very interesting old phots that might possibly be important, I need to find a expert, so far I have taken it to Butterfields and Bonhams and they did not do a darn thing other than say off the records to keep this album in good condition its valuable. So if there are any reputable experts out there HELP ( think .... White Russian, Marie Feodorovna, Czar and Czarina, Mother Russia, Queen Olga of Greece, Felix Yousoupov

Answer 1

You might be able to check with Soethby's or Christies, but they probably wouldn't give you the time of day. If you bought them at a swap meet, try and talk to the people you bought them from.  If they are an heirloom, you might be able to get more information out of the family that cna help you.  My bet would be that they probably aren't that important, being as the family was a common family; Russia was a fully autocratic state at the time the czars were ruling.  Assuming I'm wrong, though, you can also try talking to a metrpolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church, who might be of further assistance.  Russian heritage organizations are a good bet, too.  But if you do take the photos with you to be authenticated, get it in writing, signed by all concerned parties, that either you be present with the photos at all times or your representative, that the photos won't be altered in any way (like the Andy Warhol paintings that have been in the news), and that the photos will be returned to you.  You might run into problems, though.  Some countries are very anal about having stuff like that floating around, espcially in the hands of a foreigner.  You wouldn't want to be setting off an international incident, even if it is only the Russians.