A Closer Look (Part 77)

Summer Cottage, Russia, 1914. This is my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, at age 17.

Here's the original post.

Pavel, Before the Revolution

Tambov, Russia, 1916. This is the last photo of Pavel that we have.

Permitted

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Brooklyn, New York, 1949 to 1952. Here's the ID card my paternal Grandmother Tatjana used when she traveled between Toronto and New York.

A Closer Look (Part 60)

Tambov, Russia, 1905. This is Pavel, the father of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana.

Here's the original post.

A Closer Look (Part 52)

Tambov, Russia, about 1905. This is Nina K., the mother of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana.

Here's the original post.

A Closer Look (Part 49)

Tambov, Russia, 1912. I had not noticed the bow in the original post.

A Closer Look (Part 28)

Tambov, Russia, 1902. This is Nina K., the mother of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana. The dark-haired members of my family (like my Dad) take after this, the Russian, side.

Here's the original post.

A Closer Look (Part 18)

Tambov, Russia, 1910 or 1911. This is my paternal Grandmother Tatjana's younger sister, Elena. She was 12 years old when she sat for this photo. Here's the original post.

Elena's embroidered dress matches the one her sister Natasha wore that day.

Babos Receptai (Part 3)

My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, was a Russian aristocrat. Her father, Pavel, served as one of Tsar Nicholas II's regional governors (Pavel also was a friend of Tolstoy's, but I'll leave that story for another day). Pavel was working in Omsk when Tatjana was born. Later, he served in Tambov. When the Russian Revolution erupted, the Bolsheviks executed Pavel and (we believe) one of Tatjana's brothers.

Tatjana's aristocratic roots crept through many corners of her life. She was proud of her lineage, and she drew sharp lines about what sort of behavior was appropriate for descendants of the noble class. For instance, before I went on my first "date" (an afternoon, picnic outing to Brookfield Zoo), she observed that only a prostitute would hold hands with a man in public.

Tatjana also, like other Russian aristocrats of her era, admired and monkeyed French culture. She insisted, for example, that I learn the French language, and she fluidly quoted French novels and poetry. Tatjana often spoke of Catherine the Great's mastery of French culture. Many years after Tatjana died, I worked with a fellow whose grandparents (or possibly great-grandparents) had found exile in Paris after the Russian Revolution. His experience made me wonder whether Tatjana wouldn't have been happier living in France.

Tatjana's love of French culture, however, did not influence her cooking. French food was rarely on the menu. The only French item Tatjana sometimes made was Pâte à Choux. When Tatjana made choux pastry, she usually filled the puffs with Jell-O Cook & Serve Vanilla pudding (because instant pudding is for unaccomplished cooks). When she made the filling from scratch, she used this recipe: 

Cooked Cream for "Petit Schout"

                        and for Napoleon

Melt one stick of butter with 2-1/2-3 tablespoons flour. Gradually pout in 1 cup milk and 1 cup half-and-half. Cook, mixing constantly (like you would for a white sauce), until everything is heated through and cooked.

Beat together 3 egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar. Slowly mix this with the cooked cream mixture, and cook again, as you would ice cream, just until the mixture starts to show blisters. Then cool the mixture over ice, mixing well, and then adding vanilla, or orange rind, or almond extract.

[At the bottom of the page—in lighter colored ink—Tatjana added the recipe for the choux pastry:] 

Slowly heat 1 stick of butter and 2 spoonfuls (tablespoons) sour cream with 4-1/2 cups flour. Mix until the dough starts to hold together. Remove from heat and, mixing with your hands, divide the mixture into six pieces. Place in the refrigerator, then back at 400^oF until the pieces are cooked through.

A Closer Look (Part 9)

Tambov, Russia, 1910 or 1911. This is my paternal Grandmother Tatjana's younger sister, Natasha. She was eight years old when she sat for this photo. Here's the original post.

Let's look at an original print.

Summer Cottage, 1914. Many of the old photos I post are scans of images my Dad restored. If I find a faded or damaged snapshot, I usually modify it. Here's an image I adjusted earlier.

Reaching Back

Tambov, Russia, 1902. This is my Great-Grandmother, Nina K. Here's the original post.

This image shows Nina K. visiting her daughter, Tatjana, and Tatjana's twins. Here's Nina K. later in life. This post explains why Nina K. looked so rattled later in life.

Reading Spots

Tambov, Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1958. Here is another Soviet-era postcard from the city of Tambov, where my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, lived.

It's Sunday; take a walk in the park.

Tambov, Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1958. Here is another Soviet-era postcard from the city of Tambov, where my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, lived.

Russian Roots, Revisited

Tambov, Russia, about 1905. I posted a photo of Pavel and Nina K.—the parents of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana—when I first started the blog. The image was one my Dad had rephotographed. Dad had zoomed in on the subjects' faces, cropping out a good part of the photo.

I recently found the original print stored in the envelope called "Babos šeima Rusijoi"—Grandma's family in Russia. I post the image here: the original gives a better view of my Great-Grandparents, sitting in front of their house. Pavel has a newspaper on his lap, and Nina K. holds some work; I wonder if it's mending.

The traffic is still light.

Tambov, Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1958. Here is another Soviet-era postcard from the city of Tambov, where my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, lived.

Traffic is light.

Tambov, Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1958. Here is another Soviet-era postcard from Tambov, where my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, lived. 

Repurposed

Tambov, Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1958. Here is another Soviet-era postcard from Tambov, where my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, lived. It looks like a former church has been repurposed; the postcard identifies this building as a "music school."

Foot Traffic

Tambov, Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1958. Here is another Soviet-era postcard that depicts the city in which my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, lived.

Postcard from Home

Tambov, Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1958. This Soviet-era postcard shows an image of the hometown of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana. One of Tatjana's sisters sent the image to her.