Vladimir Feofilovich Zeeler Papers, 1870-1950
Collection context
- Creator:
- Zeeler, Vladimir Feofilovich, 1874-1954
- Abstract:
- Vladimir Feofilovich Zeeler (Владимир Феофилович Зеелер; 1874-1954) was a Russian lawyer, state official and political activist; the Interior Minister in the South Russian Government; a pivotal figure of the Russian emigration; and a journalist, editor, memoirist and philanthropist. The collection includes correspondence, manuscripts, and photographs of many prominent cultural figures in the Russian emigration. A sizable part of the collection also concerns the painter Il'ia Repin (1844-1930).
- Extent:
- 4.5 Linear Feet 11 manuscript boxes
- Language:
- Russian .
- Scope and content:
-
The Vladimir Feofilovich Zeeler (1874-1954) papers consist of correspondence, manuscripts, documents, photographs, and memorabilia.
A sizable part of the collection concerns the painter Il'ia Repin (1844-1930), including letters to Zeeler from Repin and his children; photographs of Repin; and his artist's brushes and paints.
The collection includes correspondence with many prominent writers, poets, composers, artists, and political figures. Among Zeeler's correspondents are Konstantin Bal'mont, Aleksandr Benois, Ivan Bunin, Vladislav Khodasevich, Aleksandr Kuprin, Pavel Miliukov, Sergei Rakhmaninov, Nikolai Roerich, and Ivan Shmelev. There are one or two letters each from Marc Chagall, Mikhail Fokin (Michael Fokine), Knut Hamsun (copy), Rudyard Kipling (copy), Vladimir Nabokov, Leonid Pasternak, Sergei Kusevitskii, Dmitrii Merezhkovskii, and Fedor Shaliapin. (Some of this correspondence concerns Il'ia Repin).
Manuscripts include poems by Bal'mont, stories by Kuprin, and novels by Shmelev; there is also a nearly-complete manuscript of Pamiati pogibshikh (1929), a collection dedicated to the memory of Kadet Party members who had died between 1917 and 1921, edited by Zeeler and others.
There are also many photographs, some inscribed, of major cultural figures in the Russian emigration.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Vladimir Feofilovich Zeeler (Владимир Феофилович Зеелер; 1874-1954) was a Russian lawyer, state official and political activist; the Interior Minister in the South Russian Government; a pivotal figure of the Russian emigration; and a journalist, editor, memoirist and philanthropist. After the defeat of the White Army, Zeeler left Russia and settled in Paris. He was one of the founders and a Secretary of the Union of Russian Writers and Journalists in Paris (Soiuz russkikh pisatelei i zhurnalistov v Parizhe), and a treasurer of the Union of Russian Lawyers in France (Ob'edinenie russkikh advokatov vo Frantsii).
Zeeler was born in Kiev on June 6, 1874. He graduated from the University of Kharkov and then worked as a lawyer in Rostov-on-Don. He was also an avid art collector; after his emigration his art collection was nationalized and became a part of the Don Regional Art Museum.
A member of the Constitutional Democratic Party, commonly known as the Kadet Party, Zeeler became politically active after the February Revolution of 1917. He was elected mayor of Rostov-on-Don in 1917. He condemned the Bolshevik revolution and on October 28, 1917, on behalf of the Rostov Duma, refused allegiance to those to whom he referred as "bandits." He actively supported the White Army.
Zeeler became a prominent member of the Russian émigré community in France. He was a founding member of the Union of Russian Writers and Journalists in Paris (Soiuz russkikh pisatelei i zhurnalistov), and served as its secretary for the next thirty years. He was also treasurer of the Union of Russian Lawyers in France (Ob'edinenie russkikh advokatov vo Frantsii), and secretary of the Days of Russian Culture (Dni russkoi kul'tury) central committee from 1927 onward. Zeeler was one of four editors of Pamiati pogibshikh (1929), a book commemorating the Kadet Party members who died between 1917 and 1921. He also was a member of the editorial board of the Russkaia mysl'.
Vladimir Zeeler died in Paris on December 27, 1954.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Readers must use photocopies of letters from Il'ia Repin to Vladimir Zeeler.
This collection is located on site.
This collection is located on-site.
- Terms of access:
-
Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
- Preferred citation:
-
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Vladimir Feofilovich Zeeler Papers; Box and Folder (if known); Bakhmeteff Archive, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Libraries.
- Location of this collection:
- 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