Letters from Vladivostok, 1894-1930

309 Pages·2013·2.338 MB·English

by  Eleanor Pray, Birgitta Ingemanson, Patricia Silver

LETTERS FROM VLADIVOSTOK,
1894–1930
The Eleanor L. Pray Collection
Collected and organized by Patricia D. Silver
Edited with introduction and notes by
BIRGITTA INGEMANSON
University of Washington Press
Seattle and London
LETTERS FROM VLADIVOSTOK
,
1894–1930
Eleanor L. Pray
Th is publication was made possible in part by support from the Marianna Merritt and
Donald S. Matteson Distinguished Professorship in Foreign Languages and Cultures
at Washington State University, and by a generous gift from a private donor.
© 2013 by the University of Washington Press
Printed and bound in the United States
Design by Dustin Kilgore
Composed in Minion, typeface designed by Robert Slimbach
17 16 15 14 13 5 4 3 2 1
Letters from the Eleanor L. Pray Collection courtesy of the private collection
of Patricia D. Silver.
Unless otherwise indicated, all illustrations are courtesy of Patricia Silver.
Maps by Kathleen M. Bodley.
Th e poem “Ancestry Dream” is reproduced by permission of Sophie Wadsworth,
and was originally published in Letters from Siberia: Poems by Sophie Wadsworth
(Syracuse, NY: Th e Comstock Review, 2004), n.p.
ll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy,
recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publisher.
University of Washington Press
PO Box 50096, Seattle, WA 98145, USA
www.washington.edu/uwpress
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pray, Eleanor Lord, 1868–1954. [Correspondence. 2013] Letters from Vladivostok, 1894–1930 /
edited with introduction and notes by Birgitta Ingemanson.
pages ; cm.
“Th e Eleanor L. Pray Collection collected and organized by Patricia D. Silver.”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-295-99324-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Pray, Eleanor Lord, 1868–1954—Correspondence.(cid:10)2. Americans—Russia (Federation)—
Vladivostok—Correspondence.(cid:10)3. Vladivostok (Russia)—Social life and customs—19th
century—Sources.(cid:10)4. Vladivostok (Russia)—Social life and customs—20th century—Sources.(cid:10)
5. Vladivostok (Russia)—History—19th century—Sources.(cid:10)6. Vladivostok (Russia)—
History—20th century—Sources.(cid:10)I. Ingemanson, Birgitta, writer of added commentary.(cid:10)
II. Title.(cid:10)III. Title: Letters from Vladivostok, 1894–1930.
DK781.V5P72 2013(cid:10)(cid:10)(cid:10)957'.7—dc23(cid:10)(cid:10)(cid:10)[B](cid:10)(cid:10)(cid:10)2013015521
Th e paper used in this publication is acid-free and meets the minimum require-
ments of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence
of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48–1984.∞
To dear Grannie Pray and Aunt Sarah, who always
hoped that someone would be interested in these
letters and would publish them.
To my beloved S. R. S., who did not think the book
would ever be fi nished. —Patricia D. Silver
To the memory of Nils Åke Nilsson and Jan Olof
Olsson, inspired writers who taught so well about
Russian cities and culture.
In grateful and loving remembrance of Nina I. Velikaia
(1925–2005), whose fi rst fi ve years in Vladivostok
coincided with Mrs. Pray’s last fi ve.
To Gregory, in True Love. —Birgitta Ingemanson
Ancestry Dream
Th rough a narrow door I stoop
into the muslined room
of the dead throw kerosene
fl ames snap what to take
photographs and tintypes
the embroidered tablecloth
grandma’s letters from Siberia
I hurry them under my coat
stumble over stubbled grass
fl ames break the window panes
mother father run down the road
no one sees me cross the furrows
slip into a circle of stones
smell of smoke in the shade
everything left behind is here
books wills the tarnished ring
counted as lost I gather them
into my hands feel someone
watching me ash-haired
is it you grandmother
holding the oval mirror between us
eclipsing your face
the glass so bright
I cannot see
—Sophie Wadsworth
Contents
List of Place Names xi
Maps xiii
Introduction: Between the Two Bays: Eleanor Pray’s Vladivostok, 1894–1930,
by Birgitta Ingemanson xvii
Biographical Sketch: Th e Smiths and the Prays, by Patricia D. Silver xxix
PART I. THE PEOPLE
1. A Victorian Home in Siberia 5
Eleanor Pray’s New Life 8
Rituals and Celebrations 20
2. Women’s Work and Leisure 27
Clothes and Home Designs 29
Charity Bazaars 36
Sports 38
PART II. THE CITY
3. Vladivostok Scenes 47
Natural Beauty, Picnics, and Excursions 49
City Landmarks and Man-Made Attractions 53
Street Vignettes, Human Interaction 56
4. Historic Names 64
Magnifi cent Ships 65
Nikolai and Alexandra 68
Lindholm Connections 71
Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich 75
Prince Heinrich of Prussia 76
Isabella Bird Bishop 77
Richard Th eodore Greener 80
5. Life at the Dacha 84
Early Visits, 1900–1907 84
Th e Novogeorgievsk Estate 87
Th e House and Garden 90
Dacha Entertainments 94
Philosophical Musings 98
War 99
PART III. THE HISTORY
6. Th e Russo-Japanese War, 1904–1905 125
Waiting for War 126
Th e Attack on Port Arthur, the Petropavlovsk 130
Th e Bombardment of Vladivostok 133
Summer and Fall 1904 136
Mukden 139
Th e Baltic Fleet and the Battle of Tsushima 141
Peace 143
7. Th e Riots of 1905–1906 146
Th e November Days 1905 147
Vladivostok’s Bloody Sunday 154
8. Wars, Revolutions, and Foreign Intervention 160
Th e War Afar, 1914–1916 161
Th e Year of Two Revolutions, 1917 163
Allied Intervention, January 1918–April 1920 168
Japanese Occupation, 4–5 April 1920 to 25 October 1922 180
A Red Cross Sampler 186
9. A Window Flung Open: New Beginnings 194
Th e Soviet Victory 197
Kunst and Albers to the Rescue 198
Same Home, Diff erent Times 204
Acknowledgments 217
Glossary of Uncommon Terms Frequently Used by Eleanor Pray 221
Appendix: Biographical Notes on Persons Frequently
Mentioned in the Letters 223
Notes 229
Bibliography 251
Index 261
Photographs follow p. 102