Domenica Pavlovna Babanine, née Issaïevitch (Mme Georges)

Research Status: Moderate Last Updated: 2026-07-06 Diary Coverage: Book 00 (1884 retrospective); appears as "Domenica"/"Domenica Pavlovna" in later carnets (1874, 1876-77)

Basic Information

Full name: Domenica Pavlovna, née Issaïevitch; widowed name Kandiba from her first marriage; "Mme Georges" / Mme (de) Babanine after marrying Georges Babanine (Marie's maternal uncle). Per Kernberger (2013), Glossary: "Babanine, Domenica, née Issaïevitch: Marie's aunt, wife of George, mother of Dina" and "Kandiba, Domenica: name of George's wife before her marriage to him."

She married Georges when she was, per Marie's preface, thirty-six years old and already a widow with children; Georges was only twenty. The marriage occurred around 1853-1854, four or five years before Marie's birth in 1858. (Note: the Kernberger genealogy tree gives "Domenica Pavlovna ISSAÏEVITCH, née vers 1831" — the same birth-year band as Georges — which contradicts the preface's sixteen-year age gap; the tree scan is low-resolution and its year digits are not reliably legible, so the discrepancy is recorded, not resolved.)

Family Information

Her Children

From her marriage to Georges, Domenica had three children (per Kernberger (2013), Genealogy appendix): 1. Dina - "Dominique Yégorovna Babanine dite Dina", born Poltava 29 April / 11 May 1855, died Nice 28 July 1914, no descendants; taken and raised by grand-maman 2. Lola - "Marie Yégorovna Babanine dite Lola", married Alexandre Sergueïévitch Némirovsky in 1892 3. Etienne - "Étienne Yégorovitch Babanine" (called Stepan in Kernberger's translated diary text), died at sixteen by suicide in 1874: he stabbed himself with a dagger in his mother's house (Kernberger (2013), entries 1874-01-25 and 1874-02-25); a 1882-03-12 entry links the act to his learning "that he no longer had a name" — i.e. to the annulment of his parents' marriage (see below)

Previous Marriage

Domenica was a widow when she married Georges. Per Kernberger (2013), at least two daughters from her first marriage (to a M. Kandiba) are known:

• Marie "Mashenka" Kandiba — who married Georges's own brother, Uncle Stepa Babanine (Kernberger Glossary: "Babanine, Marie, née Kandiba: Marie's aunt, daughter of Domenica by her first marriage, married to Uncle Stepa, nickname is Mashenka")
• Mme Tregouboff (also spelled Tregouloff) — "the daughter of Domenica's first marriage" (Kernberger (2013), entry 1876-12-11)

The Annulment of Her Marriage

Marie's preface says Georges was "séparé de sa femme bien entendu" — but per Kernberger (2013) the marriage was legally annulled in the mid-1870s, not merely a separation. The two Babanine-Kandiba marriages (Georges + Domenica; his brother Stepa + her daughter Mashenka) created a conflict: "It appears that these two marriages could not both be legal, and one of them—George's, which was ten years older than Stepa's—has been annulled" (Kernberger (2013), entry 1876-01-30; the lawsuit had begun "three years ago", i.e. circa 1873). Kernberger's endnote to 1874-01-25: "Uncle George Babanine ... had arranged for the annulment of his marriage to Domenica, the mother of Stepan, Lola, and Dina." Georges even placed a newspaper notice: "M. George de Babanine has made it known that Domenica Kandibine, who calls herself Mme de Babanine, has no right to call herself that because she has not been married to him!" (Kernberger (2013), entry 1876-02-01). The Kernberger genealogy tree labels the union "mariage annulé en 187?" (final digit illegible).

Marie's own impression of her (Kernberger (2013), entry 1876-02-06): "This woman is so common in her speech that I am constantly shocked. I have never heard such a vulgar pronunciation of Russian as hers."

Character and Reputation

Marie describes her as:

• "Une femme pratique, très gaie, dit-on" - "A practical woman, very cheerful, they say"
• Complex Relationship with Georges: "Tout en adorant Georges qui l'abandonnait, se donnait quelques distractions" - "While adoring Georges who abandoned her, she allowed herself some distractions"

This suggests:

• Pragmatic Nature: She was realistic and practical in handling life
• Cheerful Disposition: Known for being gay/cheerful despite difficulties
• Emotional Complexity: Loved Georges even though he abandoned her
• Independence: Took "distractions" (possibly romantic interests) during his absences
• Detached Motherhood: Didn't object strongly when grand-maman took Dina away

The Dina Situation

When Dina was born, grand-maman took the baby from Domenica "sans cérémonie" (without ceremony) and kept her permanently. Marie notes that Domenica "n'y tenait pas trop" - didn't care too much about this arrangement.

This reveals either:

• Overwhelmed by Circumstances: Perhaps unable to care for a newborn adequately
• Practical Acceptance: Recognized her mother-in-law could provide better for Dina
• Emotional Distance: May not have been deeply maternal
• Social Judgment: Grand-maman may have deemed her unfit as a mother

Historical Context

Age Gap Marriage (1850s Russia)

The marriage between twenty-year-old Georges and thirty-six-year-old widow Domenica was highly unusual for 1850s Russian nobility:

• Sixteen-year age gap with the woman older
• Widow status with previous children
• Secret marriage: Marie notes M. Babanine's sons "all married without warning him"
• "More picturesque than edifying" circumstances

Such marriages in Russian aristocratic society were scandalous and suggest:

• Possible financial motivations
• Social rebellion by Georges
• Romantic passion overriding social conventions
• Family disapproval leading to secrecy

"Distractions" in 1850s Context

Marie's delicate phrasing about Domenica's "distractions" while Georges "abandoned" her suggests:

• Extramarital affairs: Socially transgressive for a wife, even if husband was absent
• Social Tolerance: The family seemed to accept this ("dit-on" - "they say" - suggests gossip)
• Double Standard: Georges could abandon her, but her "distractions" were noteworthy
• Practical Arrangement: Perhaps a tacit understanding in an unconventional marriage

Family Dynamics

Domenica's position in the Babanine household appears complex:

• Outsider Status: Older widow marrying young nobleman, probably not fully accepted
• Mother-in-law Dominance: Grand-maman could take her baby without resistance
• Continued Connection: Despite losing Dina, remained part of extended family
• Additional Children: Had two more children with Georges despite his absences

Fate Unknown

Marie's 1884 retrospective doesn't mention Domenica's later fate, focusing instead on her children:

• Lola is married (status as of 1884)
• Etienne died at sixteen (Marie promises to explain how)
• Dina became Countess Toulouse-Lautrec

Related Entries

• #Georges - Her husband who abandoned her
• #Dina - Her daughter, taken by grand-maman
• #Grand_maman - Her mother-in-law who took Dina
• #Lola - Her daughter who married
• #Etienne - Her son who died at sixteen

Sources

• Marie Bashkirtseff's 1884 Preface (Book 00, paragraph 00.35)
• Katherine Kernberger, I Am the Most Interesting Book of All, Vol. I (Fonthill Press, 2013) — Glossary and Genealogy appendices; diary entries 1874-01-25, 1874-02-25, 1876-01-30, 1876-02-01, 1876-02-06, 1876-12-11, 1882-03-12
• Mathilde Blind (1890): does not mention her — Blind's abridged preface omits the entire Georges section
• Marie Bashkirtseff - Chapitre I | Presses universitaires de Rennes
• Historical context on 19th century Russian aristocratic marriage customs