Lot n° 83
Estimation :
1200 - 1500
EUR
Result with fees
Result
: 3 349EUR
IGNATIEFF, comte Alexis Nicolaïévitch (1874-1948)
Autograph handwritten diary written by the Count, relating his memories, impressions of the situation of the White Russians and important political events during his exile in France, particularly during the Second World War, covering the period from August 1, 1934 to December 30, 1945. Written in two folio-sized notebooks, consisting of 200 pages and 140 pages respectively. Text in Russian. Black percaline covers damaged, as is.
History: Count Alexis Nikolayevich Ignatieff, a former officer in the army of Tsar Nicholas II and the last governor of Kiev, worked actively after the
Revolution, where he was the plenipotentiary representative of the Red Cross, before joining the counter-revolution under the command of General
Youdenitch. Following the defeat of the White Armies, Count Ignatieff immigrated to France. Respected by all, he spent his entire life at the heart of the Russian refugee community. In his diary, the Count recalls the friendly relations he shared with many illustrious representatives of the imperial family, including the Empress
Maria Feodorovna, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, Queen Alexandrine of Denmark, Princess Paley (wife of Grand Duke Paul-Alexandrovich), Countess Brassoff (wife of Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich) and Grand Duke
Kyril Wladimirovitch, but also with all members of the Russian nobility living in Paris, such as Princes Troubetzkoy, Ouroussoff, Kourakine, Galitzine, Schakhovskoy, Demidoff, or Tcherbakoff; Counts Apraxine, Schouvaloff, Tolstoï, and so on. The Count was a first cousin of the famous Red General, Count
Alexis Alexeyevich Ignatieff (1877-1954).
Summary: In 1934, the Ignatieff family moved to 69 rue de la Pompe, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. In his diary, dated August 1, the Count describes "his apartment on the 4th floor, alas without an elevator. Water is free, utilities low - what savings! The woods are close by. The sun shines, but its rays don't penetrate the apartment, which was chosen on the basis of the family's meagre income. The Count then moved to Vanves, at 80 avenue Pasteur
Pasteur, where he lived until his death in 1948. Leonid and Olga, his children, also lived at the same address. On August 10, 1934, Alexis wrote: "Seventh decade. All my memories are coming back. I remember when we celebrated Prince Juliy's [his father-in-law Prince Juliy Ourroussoff's] sixtieth birthday.
I thought of my wedding day too". When his daughter Olga turned 27 on September 15, 1934, the Count wrote: "Poor Olga! Who could have imagined that she would have neither love nor family? On the other hand, he was delighted by the engagement of Grand Duchess Helena Wladimirovna's last daughter - Princess Marina of Greece - to Prince George of England, "what a brave woman", he wrote of the Grand Duchess. The Count often spoke of his job making shirt collars for the company his daughter worked for, which was partly his work at home, but he never complained about it. Russian aristocrats were forbidden to complain about their new life; he had to take it as it came, accepting it was the only way forward. Reading the pages of the diary, it's clear that deep in his heart, the memory of Russia is still very much alive. Indeed, it is present every day in his notes: visits to Orthodox masses, Russian festivals, invitations from other émigrés, participation in the creation of Russian organizations and associations, and so on. His diary entries are a mixture of daily life and politics. As a former diplomat and governor, he couldn't help but reflect on the political and historical issues of his time, as evidenced by the many passages referring to contemporary events. For example, on August 2, 1934, on the death of Hindenburg: "Germany is in mourning, its Reich President is dead. The newspapers are talking of nothing else", and following Hitler's proclamation as Reich-Chancellor, the Count soberly noted: "It is tragic for Germany what is happening there at the moment". Sometimes acerbic, he doesn't fail to note all his impressions, such as the day he meets Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna at church, accompanied by her sons Fedor and Dimitri: "how ungrateful his [Grand Duke Dimitri's] face is".
Invited to share a meal with them, they reminisce together about Eternal Russia and the passage of time, "six years have already passed since the death of Empress Maria Feodorovna", he notes, before continuing "V. G. Podgourskiy, Princess Koutouzoff, Prince Obolensky,
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