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OLIVE PEABODY : 1908 SUPER, ORIGINAL TZARIST RUSSIA MANUSCRIPT TRAVEL JOURNAL HANDWRITTEN AND COMPILED BY THE YOUNG ADOPTED DAUGHTER OF A NOTED BOSTON ATTORNEY, FINANCIER AND HERO OF THE NAACP

8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. On offer is a wonderful description of an American girl visiting Tsarist Russia in the years before the revolution. Measuring 8.25 inches by 6.25 inches, this journal has 35 pages and is 100% complete. The front and back covers are missing and the spine has been broken. All of the pages are intact. The handwriting is quite legible. The author of this travel journal is Olive Whipple Peabody, the adopted daughter of Philip G. Peabody. The journal describes the trip she took with her adopted father in 1908. Philip G Peabody was a noted American financier and philanthropist who lived in Boston in the early years of the 20th century. He was the son of a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and was himself an attorney by profession. He also was involved with several social campaigns of his day. In particular, he was active in the anti-vivisectionist movement and a supporter of a major project of the nascent NAACP. Peabody had adopted Olive in 1904 when she was 18 years old. Their friendship was somewhat unusual. They had met on a local train when she was 14. He was an avid world traveller and in his lifetime, he crossed the Atlantic an astounding 113 times and visited 43 different countries. He told her stories of his adventures and a friendship ensued. Over the years, he gave her gifts and money, took her places, and showed her the world he lived in. Olive later married James Beardwood, had a son named Jamie in 1930 and passed away in 1969 at the age of 83. This amazingly detailed diary is exceptional with its fascinating details of all that she saw and did in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The journal opens with them in Sweden: "Dad and I returned from Kristiania this morning. Our train left Kristiania at 6 o'clock last night and we rode without any change of cars until 7:50 this morning when we entered the large Central Station of Stockholm ..." [May 17] They spent several days visiting historical sites in Stockholm before sailing for Finland and Russia. They arrived in St. Petersburg on May 21st. "All the Russian churches and many of the people have a sort of unclean odor. Found St. Isaac's Cathedral more impressive than the Kazan Cathedral. This Cathedral stands in the Nevsky Prospekt - the long main street of St. Petersburg. It has an arched colonnade of 136 pillars in imitation of St. Peter's at Rome". [May 22] ; A guide took us about St. Isaac's Cathedral and showed us the valuable stones set in the gold icons, until we really believed that the wealth of Russia is in the Cathedrals. I visited twice The Memorial Church, built on the exact spot where Alexander II was murdered. The stones in the pavement are left just as they were The Cathedral of Peter & Paul is an oblong building, 210 feet in length and 98 in breadth. All the sovereigns of Russia since the foundation of St. Petersburg lie buried in the Cathedral, except Peter II. The bodies are deposited under the floor of the church and the marble tombs above marking the sites of the graves." [May 22]; "We asked admissions to the Winter Palace and we were sent on, from one man in charge to another, then another & so on till at least we were shown into a little room where we sat down on benches and waited. We did not know how long we would have to wait before someone came. No one spoke English or French. We decided to go on to another Cathedral for we had only the afternoon before we left for Moscow. We went to the bazaars but really most of them were closed for some sort of a holiday. Lots of things were very expensive. Dry goods priced in the windows of the shops were terribly high. A very large good natured cat sat in the door way of every shop. Candy and fruit were very expensive. Car fares cheap - hotels poor & expensive - cab fares moderate." [May 23]; "Passports are compulsory in Russia. Anywhere & everywhere you go a passport is demanded. At every Russian hotel it is taken by the manager, then given to the police official of the hotel. The next day it is returned to us after there has been a most careful examination. Even my age is required. We have been delighted to get permission in London of the Russian consul to enter Russia! To remain in St Petersburg and permission to remain in Moscow. Then permission to leave the country. Police officials attend to all this, and a charge is made each time. Often times you need a passport even to enter a public building". [May 23]; "We left the Hotel de France at 6 o'clock yesterday and drove to the Nicholas R.R. station. The cab was so small we could barely get in with our luggage. My suit case had to ride outside in the pouring rain. At the station only two small settees near the door to accommodate the hundreds of people who would wait for trains. I managed to get a seat on one bench. The moment anyone moved 20 people were after that seat. Dad was standing in line 40 minutes for our tickets. Our train to Moscow was the largest one I ever saw. We walked nearly a quarter of a mile before we came to our places. Dad had to ride in a men's compartment in the car behind mine. I was put in with 3 women & a child; all Russian; all very nice. Extra fees are charged on this train for speed, as it goes between St. Petersburg & Moscow in 12 hours instead of 24 hours. Also there is extra charge for use of a berth. The ride was uninteresting. We passed woods and meadows, pastures and little hills. We entered Moscow station at 8:45 this morning, just on time. A very ordinary station for so many travelers" [May 24]; "We had good rooms in the Hotel Bazar-Slav [Hotel Slaviansky Bazar]; room numbers 104 & 105 - with electric lights, red plush furniture & hard wood floor - no carpet, but one or two rugs. The first place we visited was the Kremlin, about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. The life of a Russian soldier is very hard. They must be ready any moment to go where ever ordered. Their pay is only a few cents a day. At one time they were allowed to write one letter a month free of postage, but when later they were obliged to pay that postage they often had to go two months without sending a letter. They look very forlorn & dirty". [May 26]; "We passed The Great Riding School on our way to an electric car stopping place - as we had come out of the Kremlin through the Trinity Gate. This remarkable building was built in 1817, and is one of the largest rooms in the world unsupported by pillars or props of any kind. The place was well lighted and we thought it a good opportunity to look in. The room was full of automobiles, and the wealthy people of the city were evidently spending the evening at an automobile show ..." [May 27]; "I have visited the Iberian Chapel several times. It is very small and the inside is bad air. The chapel which is illuminated by silver lamps with wax candles is always beset by worshippers whose donations amount to a very large sum. The Iberian Mother is often taken out to ride in a splendid coach drawn by 6 horses, with priests and servants. It goes to the houses of the sick, to weddings, and to new houses, etc. For this honor large sums are paid, sometimes the fee received amounts to 100 Rs. ($58.00). While it is absent from the chapel another copy is put in its place. On visiting Moscow, the Emperor always dismounts and prays at this chapel before entering the Kremlin. It is generally surrounded by nuns and other beggars". [May 27]. Unfortunately, her diary ends here. Olive has lightly affixed 17 Real Photo Post Cards (RPCC) to the pages; several are written on with detailed descriptions. There are also 2 small pressed flowers tucked between the pages; original florets from 1908. The amount of detail in this journal is outstanding. She is a keen observer and writes well. This is an excellent source document for a Russia historian as it paints a vivid picture of life under the Tsars. The photo post cards that she has pasted into her journal bring her descriptions to life, especially the street scenes. This is an excellent picture of a world that was soon to spiral into a very dark place for many years to come. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Fair

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