Elena Mogilat Papers, 1900-1981

Collection context

Creator:
Mogilat, Elena Tikhonovna, 1892-1981, Mikeshina, Ariadna, 1900-1982, Struve, Gleb, Tolstoy, Alexandra, 1884-1979, and Unbegaun, Boris Ottokar, 1898-1973
Extent:
4500 items 18 boxes
Language:
Russian .
Scope and content:

Papers include correspondence, manuscripts, documents, photographs, subject files, and printed materials. The extensive correspondence relates to Mogilat's personal and professional activities and includes letters from many of her students and colleagues. Correspondents include Gleb Struve, Alexandra Tolstoy and Boris Unbegaun. Of special interest are letters by her first husband Baron von Taube, written from the front during World War I, and correspondence with various Russian acqaintances about the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1930s in which they describe life in a communal apartment, and plans to rescue friends who have been arrested. Subject files concern Columbia's Russkiĭ Kruzhok and the Avtonomoff method of teaching Russian to Americans. There are letters, photographs, concert programs and music of Russian emigre composer and pianist Ariadna Mikeshina. Manuscripts are by various persons; most are by John Paul Mihaly, who had been Mogilat's student. There is also a manuscript of translations by Clarence Manning, "Four Poems by Blok." Documents and photographs concern Mogilat and her family, both before and after emigration. Printed materials consist mostly of off-prints of articles by Clarence Manning and others, primarily on literary topics. There are also books, mimeographed materials, periodicals, and clippings.

Biographical / historical:

A Teacher of Russian at Columbia University from 1921 to 1965, Mogilat helped organize the Slavonic Society of Columbia University and the Russkiĭ Kruzhok. Her first husband, Baron Alexis von Taube, was an officer in the imperial Russian army. Her second husband, George d'Hedberg, was also a Russian army officer, and later an engineer in New York City.

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is located on-site.

Location of this collection:
6th Floor East Butler Library
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027, USA
Before you visit:
Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.
Contact:
rbml@library.columbia.edu