What Can the Old 1914 Photograph Speak About (Vera and Leonid) ?

In front of Emma Mahova lies the old photograph of 1914, the one of her grandmother Vera Ivanovna Isaeva (Lisitsyna) (1894-1974) and grandfather Leonid Milentiyevich Isaev (1894-1934). This photo is on display to the left.

Look thoroughly at it: the year was 1914, the girl of 20 years old of pleasant looks is sitting comfortably in the studio chair, and behind her stands or half stands, half sits the young military officer, self-confident. From the first sight one can see that he is well mannered, educated and of noble lineage. These are Vera and Leonid.

They made acquaintance in Staritsa (now Kalinin) of Tver guberniya. Leonid came there by business and dropped by the local restaurant which owned by Vera’s father who also was busy with the wholesale purchases.

When Leonid saw Vera, he fell in love from the first moment: there was something special about this girl, her posture, her gait, and the most important was her eyes, which are impossible to describe, so deep and piercing to the bottom of the heart.

Pyotr Leshchenko was very popular at the time, his baritone was recognizable at any restaurant of Russia and Europe.

Listen to:

After some while they got married, there were born three girls: Tamara, Irina and Larisa. The middle daughter Irina was Emma’s mother who told her this story. Emma said the narration in the past voice, that means only one thing: they all passed away very long ago. It is clear. But Emma’s family saves a good memory about grandmother and grandfather, their strong mutual love, about the fact when he was sent to the front of the Ist World War as punishment that he dared to marry to a girl of non noble birth. She was from a merchant family.

There is also one more photo of Vera standing with her kids near the coffin of Leonid (he died  at 40 years old because of typhus). Her grief was so great that one phrase slipped out of her mouth which was transferred from the generation to the generation “Better you, girls, would die than your papochka!” (So called her husband Vera when he was alive. “Papochka” means “Daddy”)

However, everybody loved grandma Vera and her sister Anna Ivanovna, who lived their last 18 happy years in Emma’s family and were buried in Bryansk cemetery by the birth place of Leonid.

In Emma’s memory Vera remained a very intelligent, calm by nature, friendly person and a great cook.

So, the old photo evokes bright and unforgettable memories about the close and beloved people as for example, about Vera and Leonid and their love to each other.

As marathon of love from our generation to the past generation we give the songs of: