Curator Vibeke Enevoldsen's speech at the reception for the exhibition "A Glamorous Time - Russian Gala Uniforms from The Time of Maria Feodorovna".

First, I would like to thank craftsmen and colleagues for help to establish this exhibition. Thank you to Lieutenant Colonel lbh for helping me with the Russian weapons exhibited. Also, many thanks to Christian Würgler Hansen, who was attached to the exhibition due to his great knowledge of uniforms and his capability in decoration.

First and foremost, a thank to Paul Goudime-Levkovitsch, whose descendants are present here today. The uniforms of the exhibition and most of the objects of the exhibition are originating from the outstanding collection of Russian military objects, which the general donated to Tøjhusmuseet - Museum of Danish Defence in 1942. But why did it happen to be Tøjhusmuseet in Copenhagen? The reason can be found in a letter from the General to the museum, where he wrote (I quote):

"My collection was the goal of my life, my greatest treasure, which I with gentle memory of my Empress donated to the country where she was born"

In faithfulness towards Empress Dagmar he donated the collection, which he had built up during his more than 30 years as a refugee in France.

The general had wanted to maintain the culture, which had brutally been slaughtered when the Bolsheviks came to power. Some officers succeeded to escape, but 55.000 officers were killed during 1918-19. Therefore, it was up to the survivors to take responsibility for giving the memories on for the future.

Levkovitsch took untraditional methods in use by his culture maintenance. For example, he persuaded his officer comrades not to be buried in their gala uniforms, as otherwise was the customs. Instead, they gave their uniforms to his museum.

Apart from the uniforms, he also collected uniform accessories, paintings, and books, which all were contributing to document the Russian Army during the Tsar period. We have tried to exhibit examples of most of the objects, which were donated the museum, so the visitors can get an impression of the horn of plenty of various forms of documentation the collection contains.

The decision of the General to donate his collection to Tøjhusmuseet was taken during the 2^nd World War. Therefore, there were some problems to be solved in order to get the precious shipment to Denmark. First, the objects were hidden in a cellar for one year, but finally it was all brought to Cannes, and from there in sealed rail wagons out of France and through a Europe at war. It was a miracle that the collection came undamaged to Denmark.

By the collection, the general showed his faithfulness towards the Russian army in the Tsar period and towards the officer culture he was part of, but also towards the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, who was identical with the Danish born Princess Dagmar.

In this exhibition, there are several stories hidden, which are about faithfulness. There is also a story about Empress Maria Feodorovna's Life-guard Cossack, Timofei Jaschik, who left his four children in Russia in order to take care of his Dowager Empress, when she fled. He followed her to her death in 1928. Later, he was married to a Dane and got a grocer's shop in Valby. Some of his personal belongings are also exhibited and we would like to thank the Danish family in which possession the objects still are.

When I got the assignment of making this exhibition, I met during my search among the left papers human characteristics, which were repeated among the involved persons - a genuine faithfulness not only towards their own background, status and fixed place but also towards those, who were installed to rule and manage. This was true both for Paul Goudime-Levkovitsch and for Timofei Jaschik. One felt one was back in the positional society, where each has his own position, which he was fond of, but also proud of filling out as well as he possible could.

As a citizen in a modern democratic national state, where the equality concept is part of our self understanding and where individuality and self realization and ability of change are highly appreciated, it is exciting to meet other values. I don't think, we should turn the time backwards or something like that, but it gives food for thought of what is giving coherence to a society!