OLGA ALEXANDROVNA (1882-1960, younger daughter of Alexander III) and her sister XENIA (1875-1960)

Fine Archive of 8 Autograph Letters Signed 'Olga', including one with an original crayon drawing, and 1 Unsigned Autograph Note by Xenia, to Mrs Bessie SINCLAIR, containing many details of Olga's life farming at Ballerup near Copenhagen and later in Canada, including one letter which has attached a picture drawn by Olga for Mrs Sinclair when in Russia, signed in Russian and dated 1893, sent to Olga in 1939 and then returned, references to Olga's exhibition of her paintings at Walker's Galleries in London, 19th June - 1st July 1939, Xenia's note giving Olga's address in Canada, and a long letter from Olga on hearing again from Mrs Sinclair, with details of her farm there, her children and grandchildren, 6th February 1951, together 21 sides mostly tall 8vo, Ballerup near Copenhagen, Hampton Court and Campbellville, Ontario, 21st April 1939 - 6th February 1940 and 27th December 1950 - 5th May

In April 1916, Nicholas II annulled his sister Olga's 15-year marriage to Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg. In November that year, while serving as a nurse at Kiev, she married Cavalry Captain Nikolai Kulikovsky (1881-1958). When it became possible to leave Russia in 1919, Olga's mother Dagmar (Empress Marie Feodorovna) summoned her to Hvidore, where Olga for a time acted as her secretary. The couple then bought a farm which they worked to earn a living, supplemented by the sale of Olga's paintings. Olga was a focus of help for Russian emigrés, and also the target of imposters, including Anna Anderson, whom she quickly realized was not her niece. After the war they gave up the farm and took an opportunity to move to Canada, after spending time at Hampton Court with Olga's sister Xenia.
From these letters it appears that Mrs Sinclair was with the family of Alexander III some time in the 1890s and then went to Sandringham.

CHECKLIST

Pre-war:
1. 21st April 1939, Ballerup. "You can't imagine how pleased I am to have your letter ... Of that dear beloved family Maud [daughter of Edward VII, Queen of Norway] was the last ... a staunch friend ... & fancy I got a Xmas present from her after her death! ... Fredensborg ... seems to be haunted by faces & voices ... so dear to me",. talking of her family at Ballerup, "If you can go and look at the exhibition - then you will see my garden. Our dear sons are both Danish soldiers ... I remember you had a sweet curly headed little boy ... I can't say how your lines touched me. My dear Nanna [Mrs Elizabeth Franklin] died in 1914, 28 May", with a P.S., "Here is a tiny picture [not present] - I hope better than the one I gave you about 50 years ago". 2 sides 8vo.
Mrs Sinclair was then living at 'Hilcot', 4 Knighton Close, Woodford Green, Essex.

2. 27th May 1939, [Ballerup]. Olga has sent "3 large boxes with my framed pictures to London ... you will see the stone wall I built from stones off our fields ... my Godchild called Olga - a small farmer's girl ... a room with yellow chintz ... All the furniture here I took from Hvidore ... English (I think from Warings)", returning the drawing [present], of a cottage and an open-sided outhouse among trees, in coloured crayons, 2½" x 5½", signed below in Russian 'Olga' with the date 1893, "My sons thought that I drew very badly", ending "I remain with love Olga", and sending her love to "yr. brother-in-law Cole ... he must be very lonely ...". 2 sides 8vo and 1 side drawing.

3. 2nd July 1939, Ballerup. "I am so pleased you could go ... And you could recognize the Danish china on a bracket (from Hvidore) and a little cabinet - this amused me so much to hear ... I love all bright colours & pretty contrasts of colours ... ". 1 side 8vo.
Olga also painted on porcelain blanks, and used to replace the Royal Copenhagen china at Hvidore that got broken.

4. 16th August 1939, [Ballerup]. "It was so nice of you sending me those 2 views of lovely Sandringham. I was there but once - in spring & thought it was a divine place and got up early and wandered about & painted", she will never forget "the bluebells in the forest ... We had a picnic and sat on them and eat boiled pheasant eggs ... My sister", Xenia, "will be so pleased if you call ... her address is 'Wilderness House' at Hampton Court", and describing the unusual summer in Denmark, Olga collects stamps, especially "old interesting ones ... of English Colonies ... The harvest has just been brought in - that's a luck ...". 2 sides 4to.

5. 4th January 1940, Ballerup. Thanking her for the stamps and "photo of Mama's cosack Koudinoff & do hope my sister will send them soon", she is glad Bessie has "moved nearer to yr. younger son ... & can enjoy yr. sweet little grd. daughter - how I love babies & small children nothing on earth more interesting", talking of "these sad dark times" and of her boys, "each got 5 days leave ... There is lots of snow & they could sledge", she has painted a "'home-made' card [not present]" of the birds "which get fed out on our balcony and a tit-mouse", the birds love rings of fat with seeds "& we can hear them hammering to get at them ... With best wishes for Peace on earth". 2 sides 8vo.

6. 6th February 1940, Ballerup. Olga is glad "if you really liked my little card I painted for you ... In town, nearly all the water pipes have burst ... they have to carry water in buckets all up the stairs to the top ... it happened so rarely in Russia ... I should be most awfully grateful for any stamps yr. son can send or spare. Of English Colonial stamps I only pocess [sic] some few from Rhodesia (from the son of the English priest Mr. Lombard who used to be in St. Petersburg) and a few from an English Admiral ...", her youngest boy is also keen, "I have no new English stamps (with Bertie) higher than ... blue 2½", after Easter "my youngest boy [Gury, 1919-1984] hopes to get married. Ruth [Schwartz] is a Danish girl - very sweet and dear ... just 19 today", and praising "the verses you put at the end of yr. letter ... 'the art of being kind' ... not to everyone is it granted to be kind in a kind way". 2 sides 8vo.

Post-war:
7. (postmark date) 27th December 1950, Hampton Court. Unsigned Autograph Note by Xenia, giving Olga's address as Nassagewaya Corner farm, Campellville, Ontario [in the hills about 40 miles west of Toronto], with Xenia's autograph envelope addressed to Mrs Sinclair at 'The Nook', The Drive, Southbourne, Emsworth [near Portsmouth], with Xenia's address on the flap, unfolded to 8½" x 6½", the latter a bit worn and with shadows of transparent tape. 1 side oblong 8vo. and 2 sides envelope.

8. 1st February 1951, [Nassagewaya Corner farm]. "Oh! how nice it was to hear from you! You tell me that your whole little family live quite near you ... a great blessing I know", with Olga "this is the bright spot in our lives", hers come alternate weekends or together, she is about to be snowed in for a few days, "We love Canada ... the climate reminds me of Russia", they are just "My husband, - one workman, my old dear maid", 'Mimka' (Emelie Tenso, "who has been with me 50 years (!) [and who smuggled some of Olga's jewels from St Petersburg after Olga had left] ... We had not the faintest idea what Canada would be like ... At first my sons ... built houses, worked in factories & so on. Now my youngest is teaching at Toronto University and passing it at the same time", giving the names and ages of his children, they are thinking of changing from milk to beef, it is too much for one workman and two "would take every bit of profit ... We are gotten old and can't work ourselves, you see", it was "Nice your son saw a bit of Denmark", she explains that Ballerup has grown "into a big town" and their farm is now "the local Police-station", she continues "I am so pleased you think of me still and wanted to write ... I still miss my beloved Nana - Mrs Francklin tho' she died just before the 1st world war in my house in St Petersbourg, of her family I only hear from her daughter's son Georgie Froud ... We don't miss Denmark now ... it is all God's earth - isn't it? ... With much love to you dear Bessie from your affectionate Olga". 4 sides 8vo.

9. 5th May 1951, postmarked Campbellville. "How kind of you sending me those new stamps" and the "amusing" cutting, "The two old cousins felt boys again - over their 'Ølebród'. Did you ever eat it? I don't like it at all. It's lovely here and we are two very happy old people", printed on the recto in the bright and varied colours that Olga loved is a vase of flowers signed 'J. Philippe'. 2 sides postcard.
Olga not only collected stamps but sent in attractive designs for the Canadian national competition.

Item Date:  1951

Stock No:  56279      £5750

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