Diary of Marie Bashkirtseff
CZENUKFR

Monday, 13 January 1873

Our New Year. At church, in a blue silk dress. We paid calls. Tomorrow, the Floréal ball.
Last night, placing a mirror under my pillow, I dreamed among other things that we were looking for a gentleman through whom we might become acquainted with the Duke of Hamilton, and that we absolutely wished to make his acquaintance because we desired to be seen with someone from high society at the races.

Notes

Russia still used the Julian calendar, then twelve days behind the Gregorian calendar of Western Europe, so the Russian New Year’s Day (1 January Old Style) fell on 13 January. ↩
A traditional Russian New Year divination practice: placing a mirror under one’s pillow was believed to induce dreams of one’s future husband. ↩