The French in St. Petersburg: fashion House "A. Brizak" 1855-1917.

Kupriianova Angelina Nikolaevna Postgraduate student of the Department of Source Studies of the History of Russia, St. Petersburg State University 199034, Russia, g. Saint Petersburg, liniya Mendeleevskaya, 5 angelinakupriianova@gmail.com

Until the last quarter of the XIX century in St. Petersburg, European fashion was mainly relevant among the highest aristocracy, and only at the turn of the century it gradually covers the sphere of production of goods produced for the general population. The costumes of the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie, with all the differences in the degree of quality and pretentiousness, obeyed the general style of the era, formed in the 1890s. Art Nouveau. It is obvious that Parisian fashion was a reference point both in high circles and among the intelligentsia. Paris emphasized the luxury and theatricality of toilets. The development of this stylistic trend became especially noticeable after the triumphant seasons of S. P. Diaghilev's "Russian Ballet" in Paris in 1909-1912.

All the latest trends of Parisian fashion in St. Petersburg were brought to life in the French fashion House "A. Brizak", founded already in 1855. By the end of the XIX century . it became one of the most important in Russia, and it was managed by the same French Brizac family, three generations of which successfully conducted business in the capital and were suppliers of the imperial court. Bringing their goods to St. Petersburg, the French opened representative offices, shops, cafes, hairdressers, sewing workshops, perfume boutiques, warehouses, but rarely founded production facilities or branches. In this respect, the fashion house differed little and also had its warehouses and part of the production in St. Petersburg, but also brought a significant amount of fabrics to Russia from outside. This did not prevent the Empresses Maria Feodorovna and Alexandra Feodorovna from giving preference to dresses "from Brizak", ordering both casual and weekend dresses.

The sources testifying to the French presence in St. Petersburg of the late XIX - early XX centuries are little known. There are not many documents testifying to the household and economic activities of French enterprises. An important source of information about the life of foreigners in St. Petersburg can serve as personal diaries, the custom of keeping which was widespread in educated families of St. Petersburg society. The diary of the last owner of the firm, the son of Victor Brizac Rone, who headed the family business in 1911, reveals the inner life of a foreigner in St. Petersburg. However, the text that came out from the pen of Rone Brizac has not yet attracted the proper attention of researchers. Its consideration was carried out only from the angle of everyday life of the royal family of Nicholas II and his inner circle ^{[1, 2]}. In this case, the central issue will be the analysis of the diary as a source reflecting the fate of a French family in St. Petersburg at the turn of the century. In addition to this research, it is advisable to involve the correspondence of close friends of Olga Alexandrovna Kulikovskaya (nee Grand Duchess Romanova) and Madame Brizak, mother of Rone, who had not been introduced into scientific circulation before.

It should be noted that from the moment of her forced departure from Russia in 1920, then from Denmark in 1948 and until her death in 1960 in Canada, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna maintained correspondence with her numerous relatives and friends around the world. The correspondence presented was interrupted only after the death of Madame Brizac.

The two sources under study, a diary and letters, were kept in France in the archive of Princess Nadezhda Volkonskaya, the niece of Rone Brizac. The diary was first published in the magazine "Day and Night" in 2006 under the title "River of Life". A later edition was titled "This is how Life Goes." These differences are solely nuances of translation from French into Russian. It is obvious that these purely private notebook entries were not intended for publication, they were kept for memory from 1885 to 1945. They continued to "live" and were slowly replenished until the death of the author. The events described were recorded by Rone Brizak rather abruptly, several years could have passed between them, about which the diary is silent. The author presents his memories of Russia and St. Petersburg in the most positive way. These records are imbued with memorable memories of childhood, youth, well-being in the family circle. Only mentioning the figure of Nicholas II, Rone Brizak writes critically about the emperor's "love of alcohol", while relying on the testimonies of close friends ^[1]. The second source under consideration is the letters of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna. In April 2017 they were transferred to the museum-apartment of A. S. Pushkin, located in the former mansion of Princess S. G. Volkonskaya, which is symbolic. A month after the donation, an exhibition of exhibits took place. The archive contains 56 letters in French. Many of them are sent on postcards, artistically decorated by the Princess herself. In 2018, the letters were published in Kirov. This edition was prepared even before the transfer of the archive to the museum and contains full copies of the letters. S. P. Politsemako worked on the translation into Russian of both the diary and the letters: "When translating, looking at Olga Alexandrovna's handwriting, I tried to preserve her style of writing dates and numbers as much as possible. In the first of the published letters, she admits that she has completely forgotten the French language," and asks to apologize for her mistakes. Therefore, sometimes in the French text of the letter there are English and Russian words taken in quotation marks, which, in order to convey the color and style of the letter, I have preserved, giving in parentheses the translation of English words" ^{[3, p.6]}.

As Rone himself pointed out in his diary, he was born in 1885 in St. Petersburg. His mother, Madame Brizac, nee Valentine Emans De Ricles, was born in London on February 17, 1865, married Victor Brizac, the son of the founder of the fashion house "A. Brizak"^[2] in St. Petersburg, the chief fashion designer and supplier of the Imperial Court ^{[3, p.8]}. In 1885, Albert transferred the management of the firm to his son Victor and his wife Madame Brizak. In his diary, Rone wrote about his mother: "My poor mother, arriving in Russia at the age of twenty, immediately after her marriage, divided her life between care and work. With a conscious sense of duty, she lived like a saint. When she was very young, she lost her mother and was responsible for her eight brothers and sisters. At the age of twenty-six, she took care of her four children in a foreign country, the language of which she did not know" ^{[4, p.250]}.

What was St. Petersburg like for foreigners in the last quarter of the XIX century? According to the population census, there were 3,317 French people (more precisely, those who speak French) living in the city. Of these, 1111 are men and 2206 are women ^[5]. The significant numerical superiority of women is primarily due to the large number of single, often aged individuals who served in families as governesses and companions. Princess Volkonskaya, Rone's niece, devotes a separate chapter to the memories of her maternal grandmother, Nelly Brizak (Babi), where it comes directly to governesses. The girl sometimes accompanied her mother, who made fittings for the royal family at Court, moreover, Nelly was a playmate for the royal children: "On one of her visits to the yard, Nelly accidentally got into a salon that she had never been to before. Suddenly the girl heard some rustling and, frightened, hid behind a screen. When she decided to come out of her hiding place, Nicholas II entered the hall. Noticing some movement behind the screen, the tsar turned pale. When he saw that a little girl came out from behind the screen, he took a deep breath and relaxed." The "golden youth" to which Princess Nadezhda Volkonskaya Nelly Brizak belongs, despite the change of many toilets, numerous balls, fans, horse races, nevertheless, received a strict upbringing: "Children were forbidden to openly show their emotions, show pain and tears, even if they were sick. Children often lacked love. Before entering the school, they had to know Russian, English, German and French. Therefore, they were passed from one governess to another. The children managed to get attached to them and suffered a lot when they had to part. But no one considered the feelings of children – etiquette and traditions were above all" ^{[6, p.46]}. Some of the French women worked in the "salon niche". These are perfume shops, hairdressers, fashion salons and less fashionable tailoring workshops. A few St. Petersburg Frenchwomen can be counted among the so-called "camellias", i.e. women who were on maintenance, but, of course, for obvious reasons, there is no information about this ^{[7, p.40]}.

By the age of four, Rone had been ill with typhus and diphtheria, was weakened and, on the advice of doctors, restored his health in Nice throughout the winter of 1889. It was a common practice for the entire Brizac family to travel every summer to France, where the family estate was located – in the Chateau de Vilars Saint Marcel in Haute Marie. Often, at the same time, parents left their country estate for a while and made a trip to Paris with visits, both personal and work-related, thus preserving local ties, which undoubtedly played a significant role both in business affairs and protecting the connection with the Motherland ^{[8, p.40]}. Rone returned to St. Petersburg only by 1893, stronger and ready to study. It should be noted that the parents, as a secondary level of education, chose the German Ackermann school for their son, pointing to the high level of education in it. It should be noted that at the beginning of the XX century there were many German schools in St. Petersburg, but there were no French male schools, so in fact there were few options, except for orientation to Moscow.

By the end of the XIX century, the perception of the concepts of "Russian" and "strangers" was gradually changing. The periodical press discussed the issue of French and German colonists of Russia. However, judging by Rone's recollections, this formation of the enemy's image, which began before the war, was not obvious and did not affect his training among the Germans. Moreover, among the majority of German students, Rone was, as he writes, in the top three, while "not having great abilities."

Ronet Brizac received his higher education in France, following the orders of his parents, who wanted their sons to "speak French well." And again the question arises, was there an alternative? He entered the Oriental Vocational School in Nancy in 1896, after graduating from which he returned to St. Petersburg in 1901 ^{[3, p.216]}.

Rone, having talent and interest in technical sciences, being fond of mechanics, worked first at the factories of G. A. Lessner, then at the firm "Dom T. Tanski and Company": "Since I have always been attracted to mechanics, I offered myself as an industrial designer at the Lessner factories in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. These metallurgical plants produced steam reactors for steamships, submarines and licensed engines for motor ships. They acquired a patent for German Mercedes and manufactured the first batch of twenty chassis. These chassis, the first made in Russia, were intended for the postal service in St. Petersburg, and we can say that I also made my modest contribution to their design and manufacture. After I created sketches of a whole series of parts and a batch of cars after I took part in the production and release of these chassis and engines, I could not leave the thought that I could direct the production of such mechanisms. Just at that time, Dom T. Tanski and Company, the oldest company in Russia engaged in the assembly and sale of bicycles, was on the eve of the opening of a new department – for the sale and repair of cars. Without any hesitation, I went to Mr. Tanski and offered him my services for free for a period of four weeks. Having joined this company as a machine tester, I already achieved savings of ten thousand rubles during the first year – this is a small piece of luck at a time when the ruble was equal to 2.65 gold francs" ^{[3, p. 216]}.

As a French citizen, Ronet served in Nancy, where he served from 1906 to 1908. During that period, he alternately buried his grandfather, then his grandmother, who died in France, where they lived after the transfer of affairs to the family (to his son Victor and his wife).

After serving, Rone returned to St. Petersburg, continued to work at Tanski's firm. During his work, he ordered a car from France, and received his first driver's license in St. Petersburg in 1909. In the same year, Rone married Jadwiga - Charlotte, the daughter of the merchant of the 2nd guild A. A. Truiden (b. 1858), who had a jewelry store on Nevsky Prospekt 40-42 ^{[9, pp.603-604]}. About the choice of the bride, about her in more detail in the diary is not stated.

The need to continue the family business forced the young Brizak to forget about his passion for modern technical devices and cars for a while. However, he was not engaged in direct leadership of the House for a long time, namely, before he was called up for war in 1914. He was assigned to the 269th Infantry Regiment, stationed in Tula, in the department of Myurt and Moselle. Commenting on his journey, Rone captures his impressions: "The Russian government has kindly provided a special train for the mobilized French to deliver them to Odessa. There were free buffets at the train stations along the entire distance of our journey, which were served by young aristocrats who spoke French delightfully, but with a noticeable charming Slavic accent. This is not all – the Russian government has instructed the State Bank, which is absolutely incredible for our days, to allocate a cashier to accompany us to Odessa. The cashier's duties included exchanging our checks and banknotes for equivalent gold coins in denominations of 5 and 10 rubles, bags with which he carried with him. Is there a Government today that would make the same generous gesture for its own mobilized citizens? What country today will deprive itself of gold in order to place it at the disposal of demobilized Frenchmen? Other times, other mores. This saying is always true" ^{[3, p.223]}.

When describing the mobilization , Rone paid special attention to the issue of national character: "I find it interesting to note that all important posts in Russia before the war of 1914 were occupied by the Germans. They also held high positions in the administrative apparatus of the services in charge of mines and railways that were state or public property. These leaders were urgently recalled to Germany on the eve of the declaration of war, and the products produced in Russia were, of course, transported. Nevertheless, I must admit that the mobilization took place very clearly and flawlessly" ^{[6, p. 240]}. Thus, it can be noted that until the declaration of war and general mobilization, the German diaspora felt significant, in demand and influential in St. Petersburg, despite the obvious unstable political situation.

In 1915, after getting frostbite on his feet while fighting a trench battle near the village of Bixshot, Rone was evacuated by the first aid service. Later, having received the conclusion of the medical commission on unfitness for combat service, he was accepted to the car service station at the 19th transport division, the assembly point of which was located in Versailles: "In March of this year I was seconded to S.S. R. Ch. 5 (Special Russian Sanitary Unit No. 5), which was formed in a hangar on Pergolaise Street in Paris and was under the patronage of Her Majesty, Empress Alexandra of Russia," and remained in this unit until mobilization in the spring of 1919. Rone notes that the personnel of this unit was mixed, but the Russians were all volunteers.

On January 24, 1916, Rone received the sad news from Petrograd about his father's death. Thanks to his connections, he obtained permission to be sent to the rear for a period of 10 days for a trip to Russia. However, Rone's journey lasted 8 days and 9 nights and it was not possible to return on time. This was the first difficulty, the second, of course, is the funeral of my father. As Brizak writes: "The departure of my father, always very active throughout his life, left a large empty space in our house. He loved France very much and remained a great patriot, despite his long stay in Russia. He was very concerned before his death not to be buried on foreign soil. More than once before his death, he asked my mother not to bury him in Russia, but to return his body to France" ^{[6, p.240]}.

Thus, the phenomenon of "Russification" was alien to this French family. What is the reason for this? Perhaps a narrow sphere of activity, staying in a select closed bourgeois circle of the highest personages and within a large family clan, as well as frequent trips to her homeland, maintained a "connection" with her, and a foreign land in St. Petersburg did not become home in the full sense of the word. However, the dying man's last wish was not destined to come true.

Soon 1917 brought new worries. Six months after the beginning of the revolution, all church property was confiscated, including in the only Catholic parish of St. Catherine, where Madame Brizac confessed: "At the moment when this decision was made, my mother and I already left Petrograd. But we were able to find out from the letters of our former employees what happened after our departure. According to this information, the body of my poor father, as well as the bodies of other Frenchmen who were in the church, was transported to a country cemetery and buried in a common pit, on which there was neither a cross nor an inscription. Nevertheless, we hoped at that time that the day would come when we would return to Russia and find this grave according to the drawing that was sent to us. Unfortunately, the events that then occurred prevented us from carrying out these plans. Thus, my poor father found eternal rest in a common pit on a foreign land, far from his dear country, which he loved so dearly" ^{[6, p. 251]}.

Restoring the usual circle of communication of the Frenchman in St. Petersburg, it is necessary to note several mentioned persons who accompanied the descriptions of the events described above. Father Lagrange (Anatole Lagrange), who baptized Rone and his sisters, was often invited guests in the Brizac family: "The Catholic religion was not recognized in Russia until 1887, and until that time there were no Catholic priests in this country. Father Lagrang was a white Dominican priest, and came from Equatorial Africa, where he had been for several years. He performed divine services in the church of St. Catherine of our parish"^[3] Probably foreign applicants gave their daughters to the church of St. Catherine for training, since there was already a closed educational institution with a chapel in the reign of Nicholas I, where Anatoly Lagrange served as a law teacher from the 1890s to, probably, 1918.^[10]. A little later, in 1903-1909, a Catholic church was built in the city

Our Lady of Lourdes for the French Catholic community. It is also mentioned among the regulars of the Brizac house "Mademoiselle Pommier" - the director of the French school: "In that distant era, Mademoiselle Pommier came to dine on Mondays to my grandfather and my grandmother Brizac" ^{[3, p.250]}.

In January 1917 Ronet continues to be in Petrograd, awaiting orders from the French Ministry of War. Having been given the opportunity to extend his dismissal, he is engaged in a family business. At the same time, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who was in friendly correspondence with Madame Brizak, becomes aware of Rone's dismissal and she invites him to the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoye Selo ^[4].

Brizak left a detailed description of the audience given to him and the preparations for it. He put on his military uniform with stripes, which, as he noted in his diary, "... despite modesty... was a great success, because it was almost the only one on the platform among those who were there that morning." In addition, he writes: "France was adored in Russia at that time; this attitude has existed since 1889, as a result of a visit paid by the French navy. and the signing of the Franco-Russian alliance"^[5]. The audience with the Empress was very warm and friendly. Brizak wrote the following: "The Empress asked me numerous questions about my unit, the morale of poilu^[6] and the sanitary conditions on the western front." Brizak bitterly notes that a few days later the Empress was already taken into custody. He also speaks with confidence about the execution of the royal family in the Ipatiev House, relying on the message about this tragedy transmitted by Madame Brizac "Mademoiselle Zanotti" in 1918. Medeline Frantsevna Zanotti was a Russian citizen of Italian origin, who served as a lady-in-waiting to Empress Maria Feodorovna in St. Petersburg. It is known that the lady-in-waiting Madeleine Zanotti often replaced Alexandra Feodorovna at fittings, "distinguished, as they said, by the fact that her figure was exactly the same as the figure of the empress with the same height" ^{[11, p.28]}. It remains inexplicable how the fact of devotional service to the imperial family did not become a complication in the future fate of Mademoiselle Zanotti. All the more surprising is the subsequent order of the Department of the NKRI of the RSFSR in 1918. on the payment of an annual maintenance allowance of 650 rubles. ^{[12, pp.421-423]}. When comparing events, we notice that Rone in the diary indicates the arrival of Mademoiselle Zanotti in London in 1917, before the appointment of payments. Is it a mistake, but according to the data provided, Mademoiselle Zanotti received an annual salary from the Russian government while already living abroad. The last mention of the faithful filed is found in a postcard dated November 4, 1920 written by Princess Olga Alexandrovna to Madame Brizac in Paris: "Poor Mademoiselle Z. How sorry I am for her!" ^{[3, p.35]}. The meaning of the phrase can only be guessed.

Further events developed rapidly: "The Revolution broke out on the morning of February 16 ...", and a week later the affairs of the House of Models were transferred under the leadership of Comrade Ivanov (the cutter of the House) by the decree of the Petrograd Soviet. Bank accounts were soon frozen. Confiscation of the beloved horse of the late Monsieur Brizac – known in St. Petersburg for his love of riding. But neither the horse nor any other property could be saved. Soon the Brizaks lost control of the situation and decided to close the case: "The more days passed, the more difficulties arose, and the more difficult life became for those who had money in Russia and who were in contact with the imperial family. Our business and our money were slipping out of our control, we, my mother and I were fully aware of this, everything was going to the point that we had to lose profits in Russia for thirty working years, and in such conditions it was preferable to close our house and return to France" ^{[6, p.257]}. It should be emphasized that despite the fact that the Fashion House was the main income of the family, at the same time it was a large team where employees were family members, having worked in the company for many years. The subsequent imminent parting with the firm in St. Petersburg was obviously tragic not only from a financial point of view, but also from a psychological point of view.

From Petrograd, Rone was called to the front, but he did not want to leave his mother "for nothing". Madame Brizac resisted, not wanting to leave the city where her youngest daughter remained. Rone writes: "In Petrograd, we left my younger sister with her husband and a three-month-old child. My older sister was in London with her husband, a lieutenant in the British Army, and my third sister lived in Rome with her husband and four children" ^{[6, p.258]}. Rone's younger sister, Nelly, gave birth to a girl, Irina, who is mentioned in almost every letter in the submitted correspondence. The issue of upbringing, child care, a lot of impressions about children's life – a significant part of the conversations between Madame Brizac and the Princess. The latter, having a special tenderness for children, having already become a devoted friend of the royal children at a young age, and having had her sons – Tikhon and Guria – fully realized as a loving and caring mother: "My babies bring so much joy! They are growing so much – the elder already looks 7 years old… We walk with them every morning. Both know a lot of letters (Russian). They know a lot of songs, they have very clear little voices and a good ear for music. The older one wants to be a driver, and the younger one wants to be an officer. For a year now, they have not changed their intentions" ^{[3, p.53]}.

Summing up the results of the family's imminent departure from Petrograd, I must say about its relative success. Rone was able to evacuate with his mother, who was even allowed to take her jewelry and ten thousand rubles. According to Olga Alexandrovna's letter to Madame Brizak from Copenhagen dated April 10/23, 1920, Madame Brizak, who had already retired from family affairs in St. Petersburg, was forced to take up work in Nice. Probably, this was required by the financial situation: "... You had to take up work again – I know, I hope, your business is going well" ^{[3, p.15]}. In the letters of Princess Olga Alexandrovna dated June 4, 1920, we are talking about the failures of Madame Brizac's "new House", opened shortly after leaving Russia in Nice. A letter dated March 30, 1921, the Princess clarifies the reasons for its closure, and a subsequent letter dated March 9, 1922 tells about Madame Brizac's move to Paris, where she found a new job, which, in turn, the Princess asks about: "It gave me great pleasure to learn that you finally found a job in Paris, where you are next to your dear children and granddaughter. You didn't tell me if you received my letter – what a pity if the letter was lost. I don't quite understand what the essence of your work is – Do you design apartments? Servants' quarters, etc. – or what exactly?" ^{[3, p.53]}. Such concerns about Madame Brizac in the letters are found enough to suggest that the French family at home was undergoing financial instability along with the emigrated Russians.

Despite the fact that the first reaction of French society to the overthrow of the tsarist regime was fear, fear of the chaos that would follow, then the reaction is replaced by enthusiastic responses from the French, eager for patriotic upsurge in Russia and the activation of Russians at the front. The remaining French military mission in Petrograd, consisting of 80 people (half at the front) and more than 1,000 non-commissioned officers and lower ranks, could not share the optimistic responses, sharing the opinion of Ambassador Maurice Palaiologos, who expected nothing from the February Revolution but destruction and anarchy ^{[13, pp.132-133]}. The flight of Rone and her mother from Russia on the pages of the diary only confirms the danger of the situation in Russia and the stay of the Brizak family there.

The diary of Rone Brizac, which previously appeared in scientific research only as a source testifying to the everyday life of the Imperial family, is considered in the key of the life of a French citizen in St. Petersburg. The source records that the isolation of the French was great, the social circle consisted of elected representatives of the secular elite, as well as many foreign applicants, including those of non-French origin who lived in Russia. Thus, the phenomenon of "Russification" did not affect the Brizak family. At the same time, one cannot miss the special attachment of Rene and his family to Russia, to St. Petersburg, to Russian culture and everyday life, on the pages of the diary there are multiple evidences of the bitterness of the forced departure and bankruptcy of the Brizak house.

Olga Alexandrovna's letters are amenable to scientific analysis for the first time after their publication in Russian and French and hold great scientific potential. Despite the fact that they are more of a source testifying to the life and everyday life of Princess Olga herself, nevertheless, their analysis speaks of a close, trusting relationship with the Brizak family, which by itself complements the picture of interpersonal relations between the two families.

Notes:

^[1] Rone's diary entry from 1917: "Empress Alexandra was not happy in her life. In Germany, received a strict upbringing, she arrived in Russia, not knowing a single word in Russian. Therefore, it can be said that she never left the borders of her palaces. Tsar Nicholas II, her husband, was not a bad person, but he drank extremely and could often be drunk in the morning, which made him cruel. We learned these details both from Mademoiselle Zanotti and from Baron Frederick, who was then Minister of the Imperial Court."

^[2] Albert Brizak, or, as he was called in Russia, August Lazarevich.

^[3] Rone mistakenly indicates the Peterhof Palace.

^[4] It is interesting that even the history of the breeding of rose varieties in the XIX-XX centuries testifies to such a bright and close rapprochement. Namely, France was the undisputed leader in this matter. Studying the history of French rose breeding, a lot of names with Russian names and surnames are found. In fact, the French wrote a brief history of the Russian Empire in the names of roses from the beginning of the century before last until 1917. Here are just some examples of names: G?n?ral D. Mertchansky T Nabonnand 1890, Princesse Ouroussof Soupert 1895, Alliance Franco-Russe -Goinard, 1899.

^[5]French front-line soldiers of the First World War were nicknamed "poilu" (shaggy, hairy). The terrible living conditions of trench warfare, together with the desire of the advanced military to give themselves the appearance of real comfrey-pual, formed a kind of front-line aesthetics.

^[6] Grand Duke Andrey Vladimirovich Romanov (1879-1956).

^[7] Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse (1868-1937).

^[8] Professor of History M. Ferro's 1990 book "Nicholas II" initiated the hypothesis about the "surviving" members of the royal family, and in 2012 the author delves into this issue in the book "The Truth about the tragedy of the Romanovs".

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