Another Glimpse

Soviet Union, 1958. This is Elena, the second sister of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana. Like the other sister, Natasha, Elena survived the Russian Revolution and remained in the Soviet Union until her death. We don't know, however, what became of Elena: whether she married, whether she had children, or where she settled. I recall that when I was a child, my Grandmother used to correspond occasionally with Elena, but my memories of the content of the letters have evaporated. I only remember that my Grandmother was cautious about what she wrote because the Soviets censored letters that arrived from the West.

We do know that Elena survived the Russian Revolution by becoming an actress in Soviet propaganda films about the "degenerate aristocracy." She played the role of an aristocrat well because she was one.

Elena appeared earlier in this 1910 or 1911 photo, seated in the top row, in the middle, with her chin resting on her hands.