About Anne Lister's diary 13-14 October 1839

Introduction

On June 20th 1839, Anne Lister and Ann Walker left Shibden for an extended tour of Europe and Russia. Anne was about to put into action her long-held ambition to visit Russia and, perhaps, to travel over the Caucasian mountains into Persia. For three months the two women journeyed through Europe, finally reaching St Petersburg on September 17th. Anne writes that, as they drew near the city, she discerned “…an air of novelty…” but nevertheless, her first impressions were not favourable. “…There is a lurking shabbiness about the fine buildings & a dulness in the vastness. I like our Regent St.& our squares better, & Paris best.” Taking lodgings with Mrs Wilson at 60, Galerny, Oulitza, the two travellers spent almost three weeks sightseeing in this important but westernised Russian city. Anne, not overly-impressed, wanted to push on to the ‘real’ Russia, the heart of which was Moscow. Firstly, though, she had to prepare for the great adventure which lay ahead. Using letters of introduction supplied to her by her friends in the Parisian ambassadorial circle and by the leading academics under whom she had studied when in Paris, Anne made contact with Lord Clanricarde, the British ambassador at St Petersburg. He, in turn, gave her a letter of personal recommendation to Prince Galitzin, the Governor General of Moscow. Thus Anne had the great advantage of diplomatic protection, enabling her to enrich her travels in Russia by gaining easy access to areas of Russian society which would normally have been closed to the ordinary traveller. She, of course, took full advantage of her privileged position, making friends in the lower circles of Russian aristocracy and contacting the leading scientists and scholars of the day in the Russian academic world.

Selected passage

On arriving in Moscow Anne quickly became entranced by the city.

…I think that (without exception) it is the most picturesquely

beautiful town I have ever seen…

[AL. 26.11.39. SH7/ML/E/23]

Here we find her settling herself and Ann Walker in for the long Russian winter at Mrs Howard’s hotel in Great Dimitri Street, arranging her books (always a priority wherever she settled for any period of time), establishing contact with Prince Galitzin, the Governor-General of Moscow, and worrying, as usual, about her social “gaucheries”. She also hires a guide to organise sightseeing expeditions. The passages chosen here allow us a glimpse of the rich splendours of the Moscow churches and palaces through Anne’s dazzled eyes as she takes in the sumptuous details which she then relays to the pages of her journal.

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