Famous public figures have always fascinated people. The lives, habits, romances, glamour, and tragedies of both minor and major celebrities have been closely followed for centuries. Royals, in particular, seem to hold a special appeal—their every move and fashion choice is still analyzed in the public eye today.

Before photography, rulers often remained distant authority figures to ordinary people. But with the rise of photography, increasing literacy, and the development of printing technology, rulers gained recognizable faces in the eyes of their subjects. Through publications and postcards, public figures and their actions became part of everyone's everyday reality.

The coronation of Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, who became rulers of Russia in the spring of 1896, drew great interest across Europe. Magazines published special editions about the event, though postcards of the coronation were not produced. However, when the royal couple made a state visit to France that autumn, it turned into a massive media event—covered extensively in the press and celebrated through picture postcards. This fold-out lace-edged postcard featured the visit’s program and portraits of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna on the reverse side.

Do you follow the lives of royals or other public figures? Do celebrities benefit from media publicity—or does publicity benefit from them? Would you like to be a public figure yourself?