Olga Sapogenikoff

Overview

Olga Sapogenikoff, the younger daughter of Nina Sapogenikoff, and with her elder sister Marie one of the two «Grâces» of Marie Bashkirtseff's Nice years. «Marie seize ans, Olga quatorze» when Marie Bashkirtseff meets them again on 22 January 1875 (029.0014), so she was born about 1860. «Olga est plus grande que sa sœur» and, Marie says, the very image of M. Sapogenikoff (029.0016). She is Marie's closest girl friend until about 1877: the two «font des bêtises» together, play at the «maçonnerie» for «l'accaparation des jeunes gens» (032.0378) and sit in each other's rooms writing novels (049.0360–0361).

Names. Mon Journal indexes list her as «Sapogenikoff (Mlle Olga)» with the nicknames [Euphrosine] (t.5), [Aglaé] (t.7), [Giroflé]/[Giro] (t.5, t.6, t.7, t.8, t.10) and, in t.6, [Bibi]. The Graces are Marie Bashkirtseff's «présidente Thalie» and the founding members «Aglaé et Euphrosine» (059.0690, 059.0702). «Giro» is certainly Olga in 064.0498 («Giro, ma chère, viens t'asseoir à côté de moi») and 067.1462 («Olga-Giroflé»); a bare masculine «Girofla» (e.g. 037.0246, 062.0549) is Audiffret's nickname, not hers, and a bare «Bibi» can be Marie or Bihovetz (see #Bihovetz). Do not read an «Olga» as her without checking: 072.0035 («le buste de la grande-duchesse Olga de Russie») is a different person and carries this tag by mistake.

Chronology

• Geneva, May 1873: first appearance. Marie Bashkirtseff finds «Marie is as little as she was, Olga is a little taller» (005.0026, English in the original) and drives out with both girls (005.0046).
• Nice, 1875: the daily life of the three Graces. Sociable and noisy: «Elles ont des manières déplorables. Olga racontait… avec tant de gestes et en des termes si peu choisis» (034.0490); Marie Bashkirtseff fears «d'être confondue avec ces filles aux bras remuants» (035.0088). She takes part in the château adventure of 15 May 1875 (032.0476–0519), the bathing parties, the theatre box and the carnival disguises (048.0252: «mes Grâces arrivent déguisées en hommes»). A mutual understanding without words: «OIga me fait de l'œil… nous comprenons sans parler» (048.0175). On Christmas night 1875 she asks a visitor «avez-vous reçu des étrennes ?» and shares a bonbon with him, which enrages Marie Bashkirtseff (050.1275–1277). When Yourkoff dies in April 1876 the verdict is «cela vaut mieux ainsi pour les demoiselles Sapogenikoff» (056.0521).
• 1876: on 7–9 August 1876 in Russia (Saint Petersburg and Peterhof) she is «Giro», Marie Bashkirtseff's partner in the carriage escapade with four Guards officers (064.0450–0504).
• Letters and marriage: Marie Bashkirtseff writes to «Olga-Giroflé» on 7 December 1876 (067.1462) and thinks of «Giro-Olga» as the sister she would rather have (071.0113). On 27 December 1877: «Olga se marie avec un des Meissner, le frère de celui que j'ai connu à Nice. Un imbécile ou à peu près et totalement laid» (077.0036), though she is glad for her: «ce coup de théâtre longtemps désiré, depuis deux ans» (077.0039).
• Last mention: 30 December 1883, Mme Sapogenikoff visits: «Marie et Olga sont mariées comme vous le savez et mères trois ou quatre fois» (102.0605).

Related entries: #Marie_Sapogenikoff, #Nina, #Meissner.

References in Diary

458 tagged paragraphs; densest in 1875–76 (carnets 029–050: about 380; 059; 064), with single mentions in 005, 060, 067, 071, 072, 076, 077 and 102. First and last, the Graces' foundation, the 1876 St Petersburg run and the marriage notices were read 2026-10-21.

Euphrosine

In the society A.T.E. founded on 9 May 1875 Olga is «Euphrosine»: «Moi - Thalie, Marie - Aglaé et Olga Euphrosine» (032.0528); the regulations of 3 May 1876 name «Olga Alexandrovna Sapogenikoff, Euphrosine» (059.0689). Marie uses the name in speech («Vois-tu Euphrosine», 044.0238) and on 30 May 1875 («ma tante, Aglaé et Euphrosine», 033.0358). The Mon Journal t.5 index agrees («Euphrosine: Sapogenikoff (Olga)»); t.7 swaps the sisters, against the text.