Russian Personalities

People well-known in art, sport, film, fashion

Category Archive: History

Maiya Crystalinskaya, singing star

Maiya Crystalinskaya, singing star

Maiya Crystalinskaya, singing star


Maiya Crystalinskaya was a famous Soviet pop singer, Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1974).
Pretty girl was born on February 24, 1932 in Moscow into Russian-Jewish family.
After school the girl entered the Moscow Aviation Institute.
In 1957, Cristalinskaya won the Moscow International Festival of Youth and Students where she performed with an amateur ensemble First Steps by Yuri Saulsky. In the same year she married writer Arkady Arkanov. But their marriage was short-lived. Architect and sculptor Edward Barclay became her second husband.
In 1960, she recorded Masha’s song for the movie Thirst and became popular in the Soviet Union.
By the way, Maiya became the first performer of the legendary song Tenderness (1966) written by Russian composer Alexandra Pakhmutova. In 1966, Maiya was named the Singer of the Year.
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Varvara Asenkova, one of the best travesty performers

Portrait of Asenkova by Hau Edward Petrovich

Portrait of Asenkova by Hau Edward Petrovich


Varvara Asenkova was a Russian actress, who acted in the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg (1835-1841). She performed in vaudeville, comedies, melodramas, dramas and tragedies. By the way, Asenkova was one of the best travesty performers. You know, she played the roles of young men and girls disguised in men’s clothing (for example cadet Lelev and Gabrielle).
Pretty girl was born on April 10, 1817, in St. Petersburg. She was the daughter of the famous actress Aleksandra Yegorova Asenkova. Her father was an officer of the Semyonovsky Regiment, Nikolai Ivanovich Kashkarov. According to the law of that time, the actresses of the imperial theaters could not get married and play on the stage at the same time. On his return from the war Kashkarov married the daughter of the former commandant of the Bobruisk fortress. Illegal family was forgotten.
Varvara was the eldest daughter of Alexandra Yegorovna.
The image of Asenkova is frequently reflected in literature, particularly in N. A. Nekrasov’s lyrics.
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Evdokiya Golitsyna – Princesse Nocturne

Avdotya Golicuyna by Johann Peter Griess

Evdokiya Golitsina by Johann Peter Griess


Evdokiya Golitsyna, nee Izmailova, was one of the most beautiful women of her time, the hostess of a literary salon. By the way, she is known as Princesse Nocturne and Princesse Minuit.
Pretty girl was born on August 4, 1780 into the family of Senator Ivan Izmailov and his wife Alexandra Yusupova, sister of the famous art connoisseur N. Yusupov. Her father died when the girl was seven years old and three and a half years later her mother died. So Dunya (Evdokiya) and her younger sister became orphans. Evdokiya went to her father’s brother Mikhail Izmailov, where she lived and studied. She was a clever and very beautiful girl.
Meanwhile, her uncle Nikolai Yusupov worried about the girl’s fate. So, he found a brilliant solution: Yusupov asked Emperor Paul I to help Evdokiya. And Paul I decided that his favorite Prince Sergei Golitsyn should marry the girl.
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Aleksander Zaldostanov – best known Russian biker

Aleksandr Zaldostanov

Aleksander Zaldostanov – best known Russian biker


Aleksander Zaldostanov is the best known biker in Russia, leader of the biker club Night Wolves.
The boy was born on January 19, 1963. He doesn’t like to talk about himself. By the way, he is better known as the Surgeon. Alexander worked as a doctor in a dental clinic. During his medical practice, he managed to make beads from real human teeth, which were later presented to the fashion designer Yegor Zaitsev.
However, he gave up medicine and organized bikers’ movement.
Night Wolves is the first in the USSR and Russia biker club. It was founded on May 31, 1989 with the type MC – Moto Club in Moscow. Since 1992 it has been a Member of the International bike movement.
Sports team Wolf Racing was organized. Also they work with orphanages, boarding schools and a number of urban youth organizations.
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From Russ to Russia – dolls collection

russ-russia

Boyar, Boris Godunov, Boyarinya and Maria Skuratova-Belskaya


Anastasia Chizhova’s gallery presented a unique porcelain dolls exhibition – From Russ to Russia. Every doll is very colorful and lively.
Olina Wentzel was dolls’ “mother”. Her works are shown in museums and exhibitions. Also awesome dolls were bought for private collections in Moscow, Amsterdam, New York, Venice, Paris, Copenhagen. The Royal Houses of Europe, the Churchill family, Mireille Mathieu, Paul McCartney and many other celebrities have Olina’s porcelain ladies and gentlemen in their collections.
The exhibition From Russ to Russia was dedicated to Russian rulers and historical figures.
I’d like to tell you some words about Olina.
Olina Wentzel was born on December 2, 1938 in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
She was a Russian theater painter and was awarded the honorary title Master of the museum doll.
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Princess Zinaida Volkonskaya

Princess Zinaida Volkonskaya

Princess Zinaida Volkonskaya


Princess Zinaida Volkonskaya, nee Princess Beloselskaya, was a literary salon hostess, writer, poet, singer and composer. You know, she was a prominent figure of Russian cultural life of the first half of the XIX century. Also she was an opera singer who performed in Paris and London.
Pretty girl was born on December 14, 1792 in Dresden into the family of Prince Alexander Mikhailovich Beloselsky-Belozersky and Varvara Yakovlevna Tatisheva. Her father was called Moscow Apollo as he was very handsome. By the way, he was intelligent and educated and he was friends with Mozart and Voltaire.
In 1808, Zinaida was lady-in-waiting of Queen Louise of Prussia and she was close to Emperor Alexander I of Russia.
Two years later, in 1810, Zinaida married Alexander’s aide-de-camp, Prince Nikita Volkonsky. Soon she gave birth to a baby. They say that that boy’s father was Emperor Alexander the First. To tell the truth, the main mistress of the Emperor was Maria Antonovna Naryshkina.
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Praskovya Gagarina – first Russian woman, who flew in a hot air balloon

Josef Grassi. Portrait of Praskovya Yurevna Gagarina

Josef Grassi. Portrait of Praskovya Yurevna Gagarina


Praskovya Gagarina (Kologrivova, nee Trubetskaya, 1762-1848) was a famous beauty, the first Russian woman, who flew in a hot air balloon.
She was the daughter of a privy councilor – Yuri Trubetskoy (1736-1811).
You know, Praskovya was married to Major-General Fyodor Sergeevich Gagarin. During the Russian-Turkish war (1789-1791) she followed her husband and went to Iasi. There Praskovya became known after she slapped Highness Prince Potemkin. Thereafter she followed her husband to Poland, where he was killed and Praskovya was in custody. By the way, she gave birth to her daughter Sophia in captivity.
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