Atlantis Magazine | In the Courts of Memory | Volume 1 | Number 4
Table of Contents:
The Enchantment of Perfumery in Russia: Odori femina (Scent of a Woman) by DeeAnn Hoff Devotees of Imperial Russia become entranced with the seductive array of satin-bulbed atomizers, jeweled bottles, and miniature enameled chatelaine perfume flasks hung on delicate chains. This was the magic of Faberge’ as he "shape-shifted" objects of everyday utilization into articles of elegance and fancy. Darkness and Light: The Life of Russia’s Philosopher-Poet, Evgeny Abramovich Boratynski [1800-1844] by Grant Menzies … Of the many rich word-paintings that make up her memoirs of Russian estate living prior to the 1917 Revolution, one of the most evocative from Olga Ilyin’s pen is her description of entering one summer afternoon, in the early 1900’s, the cool, shaded library of her father’s estate, Shushar, near the former Tartar capital of Kazan.
Anastasia: The Haunting Questions Remain by Greg King and Penny Wilson In the words of Oscar Wilde, "The truth is rarely pure, and never simple." This aphorism may be applied accurately to historical mysteries, which rarely generate neatly wrapped answers. When presented with tidy conclusions, it is the job of the historian to question, to probe, to confirm, or to protest. This thirst for knowledge is what carries us from truth to truth, and allows each of us to return to the mysteries of the past again and again, with renewed insight, information and opinion, shifting and shaping events as changing fact and analysis dictate. To blindly accept the easiest explanations for extraordinary events is to close our eyes to the possibility of discovering a further, deeper truth.
The Grand Duchess and Mr. Manahan by Bernard Ruffin It was a warm day in early September, 1968 when I arrived with a friend from Bowdoin College at an elegant house near the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. We had come earlier in the day only to be told by the elderly butler that the occupants were not at home, but would return later in the day. Now a short, stocky man of middle years with closely cropped red-gray hair that tapered into a marked "widow’s peak," answered the door and identified himself as Dr. John Manahan. I showed him a postcard that he had written me, but told him we had been unable to find the stone weighing at least twenty pounds that he required all callers to bring, for him to use in constructing "The Church of St. Pilgrim." "That’s all right boys," he said, "Come in."
How Great an Intrigue by Peter Kurth I began this essay with a quote from Kierkegaard, the western philosopher most concerned with the meaning and significance of the Christian leap of faith. It is my hope that another generation of scholars and enthusiasts will continue to dig deeply for answers to this case. For myself, I can only echo the words of Faith Lavington, English governess to the children and grandchildren of Duke George of Leuchtenberg, who lived with Anna Anderson at Seeon Castle in Bavaria in 1927 and regretted to the end of her days "how great an intrigue still exists against this lady."
The Romanovs: An Annotated Filmography Part Four: Anastasia by Greg King In this, the last of a four part series, I will be discussing the subject of Anastasia on film. Like Rasputin, Anastasia has been the subject of a substantial body of cinematic work. This is perhaps appropriate, as Anastasia herself has become the most famous member of the last Imperial family.
Merchandising a Mystery: The Selling of Anastasia by Greg King There has always been a market for things Romanov. Whether postcards, books, original photographs or rare autographs, collectors have continually followed the waxing and waning of the Imperial Family's popularity. The publication in 1967 of Robert K. Massie's Nicholas and Alexandra ignited a renewed interest in the story of the last Imperial Family, and this fascination continued through the end of the 1970s.
The False Anastasia by Princess Helena Petrovna of Serbia // translated by Penny Wilson After a year of unimaginable physical and mental suffering, I left Russia forever. I traveled first to Sweden, but I planned to leave almost immediately for France. My brother Alexander met me at the station in Paris, where my two children and their English nurse, Miss Irwin, accompanied me.
The Resurrection of the Amber Room by Greg King The bare brick and wood walls rise in stark contrast to the carved boiseries and intricately inlaid wooden floors of the halls surrounding the room. Where harmony and restraint reign as visitors pass through gilded door after gilded door, here, there is but the merest hint of former glory. And yet, in the midst of the sawdust and sheets of plywood stacked against the walls, a minor miracle is taking place.
The Underwood and Keystone-Mast Collection by Penny Wilson The Underwood and Keystone-Mast Collection today houses a treasure-trove of unpublished images of Imperial Russia. Over 100,000 photographs illustrate various aspects of life in turn of the century Russia. Beside the fabulous Russo-Japanese War set, Underwood and Keystone-Mast archive contains collections covering such topics as: St. Petersburg; Moscow; Kiev; Novgorod; the Crimea; the Coronation; the waterways; Russian architecture; the Russian native peoples; the Imperial family; the palaces; Russian churches and cathedrals; and assorted events of the day.
Local notes
Table of Contents:
The Enchantment of Perfumery in Russia: Odori femina (Scent of a Woman)
by DeeAnn Hoff
Devotees of Imperial Russia become entranced with the seductive array of satin-bulbed atomizers, jeweled bottles, and miniature enameled chatelaine perfume flasks hung on delicate chains. This was the magic of Faberge’ as he "shape-shifted" objects of everyday utilization into articles of elegance and fancy.
Darkness and Light: The Life of Russia’s Philosopher-Poet, Evgeny Abramovich Boratynski [1800-1844] by Grant Menzies … Of the many rich word-paintings that make up her memoirs of Russian estate living prior to the 1917 Revolution, one of the most evocative from Olga Ilyin’s pen is her description of entering one summer afternoon, in the early 1900’s, the cool, shaded library of her father’s estate, Shushar, near the former Tartar capital of Kazan.
Anastasia: The Haunting Questions Remain
by Greg King and Penny Wilson
In the words of Oscar Wilde, "The truth is rarely pure, and never simple." This aphorism may be applied accurately to historical mysteries, which rarely generate neatly wrapped answers. When presented with tidy conclusions, it is the job of the historian to question, to probe, to confirm, or to protest. This thirst for knowledge is what carries us from truth to truth, and allows each of us to return to the mysteries of the past again and again, with renewed insight, information and opinion, shifting and shaping events as changing fact and analysis dictate. To blindly accept the easiest explanations for extraordinary events is to close our eyes to the possibility of discovering a further, deeper truth.
The Grand Duchess and Mr. Manahan
by Bernard Ruffin
It was a warm day in early September, 1968 when I arrived with a friend from Bowdoin College at an elegant house near the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. We had come earlier in the day only to be told by the elderly butler that the occupants were not at home, but would return later in the day. Now a short, stocky man of middle years with closely cropped red-gray hair that tapered into a marked "widow’s peak," answered the door and identified himself as Dr. John Manahan. I showed him a postcard that he had written me, but told him we had been unable to find the stone weighing at least twenty pounds that he required all callers to bring, for him to use in constructing "The Church of St. Pilgrim." "That’s all right boys," he said, "Come in."
How Great an Intrigue
by Peter Kurth
I began this essay with a quote from Kierkegaard, the western philosopher most concerned with the meaning and significance of the Christian leap of faith. It is my hope that another generation of scholars and enthusiasts will continue to dig deeply for answers to this case. For myself, I can only echo the words of Faith Lavington, English governess to the children and grandchildren of Duke George of Leuchtenberg, who lived with Anna Anderson at Seeon Castle in Bavaria in 1927 and regretted to the end of her days "how great an intrigue still exists against this lady."
The Romanovs: An Annotated Filmography Part Four: Anastasia
by Greg King
In this, the last of a four part series, I will be discussing the subject of Anastasia on film. Like Rasputin, Anastasia has been the subject of a substantial body of cinematic work. This is perhaps appropriate, as Anastasia herself has become the most famous member of the last Imperial family.
Merchandising a Mystery: The Selling of Anastasia
by Greg King
There has always been a market for things Romanov. Whether postcards, books, original photographs or rare autographs, collectors have continually followed the waxing and waning of the Imperial Family's popularity. The publication in 1967 of Robert K. Massie's Nicholas and Alexandra ignited a renewed interest in the story of the last Imperial Family, and this fascination continued through the end of the 1970s.
The False Anastasia
by Princess Helena Petrovna of Serbia // translated by Penny Wilson
After a year of unimaginable physical and mental suffering, I left Russia forever. I traveled first to Sweden, but I planned to leave almost immediately for France. My brother Alexander met me at the station in Paris, where my two children and their English nurse, Miss Irwin, accompanied me.
The Resurrection of the Amber Room
by Greg King
The bare brick and wood walls rise in stark contrast to the carved boiseries and intricately inlaid wooden floors of the halls surrounding the room. Where harmony and restraint reign as visitors pass through gilded door after gilded door, here, there is but the merest hint of former glory. And yet, in the midst of the sawdust and sheets of plywood stacked against the walls, a minor miracle is taking place.
The Underwood and Keystone-Mast Collection
by Penny Wilson
The Underwood and Keystone-Mast Collection today houses a treasure-trove of unpublished images of Imperial Russia. Over 100,000 photographs illustrate various aspects of life in turn of the century Russia. Beside the fabulous Russo-Japanese War set, Underwood and Keystone-Mast archive contains collections covering such topics as: St. Petersburg; Moscow; Kiev; Novgorod; the Crimea; the Coronation; the waterways; Russian architecture; the Russian native peoples; the Imperial family; the palaces; Russian churches and cathedrals; and assorted events of the day.