The Art of the Authoress of Anastasia: The Autobiography of H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicholaevna of Russia
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The purpose of this book is not to convince or even try to convince the reader that “Evgenia Smetisko” was Grand Duchess Anastasia (who shares some ancient English familial lineages with the author). It does serve, however, as a vehicle to show what a pleasing artist she was in her own right. She does share that creative characteristic with the Anastasia of history.
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About the Book
In 1963 a woman by the name of "Evgenia Smetisko," an immigrant who purportedly entered the United States from Roumania according to her 1928 naturalization papers, published "Anastasia: The Autobiography of HIH The Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicholaevna of Russia." When asked if she were indeed the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra, she denied it and failed a lie detector test. Upon acknowledging the fact, she passed. Although her immigration and naturalization papers state that "Evgenia" was born on January 25, 1899, her grave cross in the cemetery of Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Monastery in Jordanville, New York lists the birthdate as June 18, 1901. On that date Grand Duchess Anastasia was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. Both Anastasia and "Evgenia" were artistically inclined. Paintings and embroidery from "Evgenia's" collection, which were NOT deemed suitable for inclusion in the monastery's Russian history museum and now reside in a private collection, are offered here for the enjoyment of the reader.
About the Author
The author founded the Froebel Gallery, Ltd. (formerly Grupo Arte, Ltd.) in Albany, New York in 1991. His passion for genealogy, history and culture led him to write and publish a growing list of books in his Ahnentafel Series. The Romanov Family and the history of Kindergarten, founded by educator Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel, are intertwined, a fact underscored in Friedrich and the First Kindergarten, The First Kindergarten, and The Life of Frederick Froebel; Founder of Kindergarten. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna Romanov of Russia (1786–1859), wife of Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, was a fervent supporter of Froebel's kindergarten. This connection heightened the author's fascination with the story of the Imperial Family of Tsar Nicholas II, including the mysterious fate of his daughter, Anastasia Nicholaevna. The artistically inclined child of Emperor Nicholas and Empress Alexandra shares this creative characteristic with whomever the woman known as "Evgenia Smetisko" might be. The confluence of the lives of these two personages, evidenced in fine art, fits perfectly in the Ahnentafel Series (Ahnentafel: German for ancestral tree and a loan word in English used by those dedicated to genealogy), especially as Anastasia's English family and that of the author share ancient common roots.