Antique Imperial Russian Signed Letter Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia 1939

Siocha" was the nickname for Ferdinand Thormeyer, a former tutor and a lifelong friend of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, the youngest sister of Tsar Nicholas II.

Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna maintained a long correspondence with Thormeyer, especially after she went into exile following the Russian Revolution. Her letters to him, often written in French, discussed her daily life and activities, such as going to the cinema or walking in the morning. The correspondence highlights their close and enduring friendship.

In the letter she writes:

Ballerup, 30 July 1939 (Sunday evening)

My dear Siocha,

I thank you most warmly for your letter and for your kind sympathy about my troubles. Fortunately, everything is now extremely well again.

All week I’ve been resting — lying on one of the deck chairs in the garden. Up here under the apple tree, you know, we’ve arranged a little corner where we sit and read. It’s been so hot — almost tropical heat!

Walking is difficult, as the ground is too dry. My knee still bothers me a little, but it’s nearly healed. I walk again, slowly, as long as I can go into the new garden.

I didn’t go to church this morning, as I couldn’t stand so long — half an hour standing would have been too much. So John and I stayed home. He worked a bit on his painting — he’s trying to make a portrait in oil — though without much patience!

Wladimirff will write to me in a few days — he and his wife have been married for four years now. They’re going to Geneva to see the exhibition of Spanish paintings, and he’s asked if I’d like to go too — but that’s impossible for now.

Ruth might go, which would be wonderful for her.

We’ve had tremendous heat here — I drink my tea constantly, always under the shade of the trees. The children behave well; they play quietly.

Yesterday, a storm finally broke the heat — it was like a great relief.

At that moment, I thought of the war of 1914 — how people must have felt when peace ended and life suddenly changed.

You say your husband recalls those early days with sadness — mine does too. He says one never forgets the first days of such a catastrophe.

It’s already been twenty-five years — and now, again, the world is full of fear.

What a nightmare it must have been for him, that August day when war began.

We went to church this afternoon; they held a thanksgiving service. It brought me comfort, though my thoughts were heavy.

My dear, thank you again for your letter — it did me so much good.

With all my heart,

Olga