Short Four page letter sent Home from an English Chemist in the Moscow Viscose company newly founded.

DESCRIPTION: A letter dated 13 February 1910 on the official headed note paper (in Russian) of the Moscow based Viscose chemical factory written by an English chemist involved in the company’s initial set up. In this long detailed letter to his son, he describes life and work during the Moscow winter of 1910 viewed interestingly from an English perspective.

The unnamed writer first describes his experience of skating ‘I have just come in from skating’. There is a nice sort of rink about 140 yards by 70, well swept and lit up at night with an ark light – so I can have a turn after dinner.’ He goes on to describe the factory which is outside of the city ‘surrounded by a sort of domain in which are the houses of the directors and staff. There is a resident doctor and he is a jolly old boy, he has a fine grand piano, I often turn in and have a play… The railway is just outside the domain and the trains are ‘a caution’ – huge engines and carriages… They are jolly comfortable berths they make up…. And for one rouble (2/2d) you get a complete fixup.

He goes on to describe the rituals of tea drinking and the natives as ‘the work people are illiterate, but the well to do are highly educated and speak three or four languages’. He also gives detailed descriptions of the factory itself which appears to have been the first such artificial silk factory in Russia. At the time Russia was the fourth largest textile manufacturer in the world and many foreign workers like this chemist were brought in from England to help with technological developments.

SIZE: 274x 219mm each page

CONDITION: Few small tears at edges, one minor hole at fold, else very good.

£150.00

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