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, 13 June 1939

My dear Siocha,

Just a few words to thank you for your good letter. Tomorrow I’ll be one year older!

We’re celebrating the day with my dear Typa, my brother Gustav — they came for lunch today. I received flowers and a lovely bouquet of peonies from the garden. Typa gave me a beautiful magazine — and Gustav, lobsters!

It was quite an adventure preparing the lobsters. Having never done it before, we felt like amateurs in a shop trying to figure out how to handle the creatures!

Our cook was away, so we had to manage ourselves — and the lobsters were very much alive!

The first one we tried to cut escaped us — it reminded me of the story of Caran d’Ache! (We’d never done such a thing.)

At one point we thought we might faint — but we eventually managed, with much noise and laughter, to accomplish the dreadful task.

It’s very hot — but now cooler after a night of rain. The garden smells wonderful, and the flowers are everywhere.

Yesterday I sent Einar to fetch some “asparagus” from a local farmer — he brought back a good amount, though not before telling us that “a bad man” in the neighborhood had been shooting birds and pigeons!

Can you imagine such cruelty?

You must picture the scene: one beautiful morning, a little bird falls dead at our window — such sadness! Einar said, “He will shoot no more — that man is finished.”

I don’t know what he meant — perhaps he meant he would report him. Anyway, it was a relief that this dreadful “hunter” was gone from our street.

People are so strange — and yet amusing in their own way.

I’ve already received many letters — from Thomas and Bhopal. I can hardly keep up with all the correspondence!

This evening we’re invited to dinner with a young couple who live nearby, in a charming Norwegian-style chalet by the sea, facing Helsingør and the Swedish coast.

It will be a pleasant evening — they remind me of you and your dear husband.

With all my heart,

Olga