kaiserbill

No later than 1914 one would think!

they were first cousins

By October 1914, Germany and Russia were at war. And judging from coverage in NYT, relations had been poor in the Spring of 1914. My suspicion is that this picture was taken earlier, perhaps in May 1913, when Europe's royalty assembled in Berlin for the marriage of the Kaiser's daughter Viktoria Luise. NYT of May 23, 1913 query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=990CEFDE143FE633A... which mentions that the Kaiser took the Czar for a drive in a motor car -- so that wasn't the occasion for this picture.

Interesting article. The czar and and the king of England both dressed in Prussian military uniforms for the banquet. Quite a shock in light of later events. However, one source says this was a custom of royalty of the era, dressing in each other's uniforms.

Some sources I found say the May, 1913 meeting was their last: "On May 24, 1913, Wilhelm's daughter, Viktoria Louise, was married to Prince Ernest August of Hanover, and the Kaiser invited his cousins, King George V of England and Tsar Nicholas II; this would be the last time the Royal cousins saw each other. " www.geocities.ws/kaiser_prussia/biography_wilhelm2_2.html Bain's photo is a heavily-cropped version of this: www.gwpda.org/wwi-www/willnick/pair2.jpg

I had thought that this was Kaiser Wilhelm I , grandfather of Kaiser Wilhelm II, after being crowned emperor of the newly reunified Germany in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles in January, 1871.
I see from the estimable Miss Mertens' comment on what looks like a related picture that this is Wilhelm II, seen taking his leave of court chaplain Dr. Bernhard Rogge, who had given the main sermon during the coronation ceremony of his grandfather in 1871.

This is a Gustav Liersch postcard, with the identifying info blocked out at bottom:
www.ansichtskarten-center.de/webshop/shop/ProdukteBilder/...

Another Flickr user, Miss Mertens, has scanned the original Liersch postcard in her photostream

No, it is not Kaiser Wilhelm I. on the photo. I can see following persons: from left the women: Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia (born 1892, 4 years after Wilhelm I. death), next to her Crown Princess Cecilie and Princess Sophie Charlotte of Prussia, wife of Prince Eitel Fritz. The little boy was Prince Louis Ferdinand or Prince Wilhelm, son of the crown couple. The man with Pickelhaube is not Kaiser Wilhelm II. I also don`t know, who is the wife with the dark suite!

Thanks for that, Miss Mertens. I have changed my comment to this photo and the one, which looks like the same occasion, with Wilhelm II greeting court chaplain Bernhard Rogge.