Maria Pavlovna is Anton Chekhov’s younger sister, his friend, confidante, heiress, and memoirist. Maria is three years younger than her brother; she is the only girl among the six children — the youngest daughter, Evgeniya, died in infancy.

At the age of ten, Masha Chekhova entered the Taganrog Mariinsky Women’s Gymnasium, which made her father, a former serf peasant Pavel Yegorovich, very proud. The girl studied for two years before the family moved to Moscow due to complete bankruptcy. There Masha became a third-grader at the Moscow Philaret’s Diocesan School and graduated in 1882. Later she taught history and geography at a private women’s gymnasium. In 1902, for her contribution to public education Maria Pavlovna was awarded the silver medal in memory of the Holy Coronation of Nicholas II.

Maria Chekhova had a passion for painting since childhood. Her elder brother Nikolay, as well as his friends Valentin Serov, Konstantin Korovin and Isaak Levitan, who was in love with Maria, were her teachers. The girl attended evening classes at the Stroganov School and in the private studio of the artist Alexandra Khotintseva, a friend of the Chekhovs.

Maria and Anton shared all the responsibilities of the large Chekhov family. Her brother provided for the family financially, while Maria took care of the household and the well-being of her parents and brothers. After the purchase of the estate in Melikhovo, Maria Pavlovna had more things to do, she helped her brother in everything, from repairing the house and planting roses to fishing and seeing patients.

Chekhov wrote, “When is Masha back? Without her, there is a terrible mess in the vegetable garden. The heifer and geese have eaten half the garden. The chickens are helping them. I do not have time to look after them, as the whole day I am not at home.”

Despite her obvious talent and plenty of admirers, Maria Pavlovna never became an artist, a wife or a mother. Her main mission in life was to preserve her brother’s epistolary heritage and memory of him. After Chekhov’s death, Maria Pavlovna moved to Yalta to live there for the rest of her life. In the writer’s house, she founded a museum and was its permanent director until 1957.

Наименование: Maria Chekhova on the veranda in Melikhovo
Размеры: 17×13 см
Коллекция: The Manor House of Anton Chekhov in Melikhovo
Правообладатель изображений: The Manor House of Anton Chekhov in Melikhovo

Nikolay Pavlovich is Anton Chekhov’s elder brother, the second of the six children in the family. He is 22 years old in the photo. From his childhood he enjoyed drawing, did it all the time and, as relatives recalled, he drew on and with whatever was available. He was an observant and sensitive boy, studied music, played the piano and violin.

Nikolay Chekhov completed five classes at the Taganrog Gymnasium and entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, winning the competition of 10 applicants per place. He studied and was friends with Isaac Levitan, Franz Shechtel, and Konstantin Korovin; and his teachers were the artists Vasily Perov, Alexei Savrasov, and Vasily Polenov.

The Chekhovs lived in poverty in Moscow, they often moved and rented cold cheap rooms. All this affected Nikolay’s health, he lost his eyesight and was expelled from the school. When his vision was partially restored, Nicholay worked extensively as a cartoonist and illustrator of magazines and, participated in exhibitions, and received a small silver medal for his work “Sokolnichy Circle”.

Nikolay Chekhov worked in the genres of landscape and still life, was a theater set designer and painted the walls of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. Together with Levitan and Korovin, he created sets for “Faust” and “The Mermaid” by Savva Mamontov’s Private Moscow Opera.

Nikolay Chekhov was the first illustrator of the stories by his brother Anton. He designed the cover for his collection “Innocent Speeches” and created original drawings for many other works. Anton Pavlovich appreciated his brother’s talent and constantly criticized his way of life, “A strong Russian talent is dying, dying for nothing.”

Nikolay Chekhov died at 31 from tuberculosis. One of his most successful works is a portrait in profile of his brother Anton in the year of his graduation from Moscow University.

This is how Anton Pavlovich spoke of Nikolay: “In my opinion, you are kind to the point of rags, generous, not selfish, share your last penny, sincere; you are alien to envy and hatred, simple-minded, feel pity for people and animals, not malicious, not vindictive, trusting. You are gifted from above with something that others do not have: you have talent. There is only one artist for every 2,000,000 people on earth…”

Наименование: Nikolay Pavlovich Chekhov
Размеры: 21,2×11,5 см
Коллекция: The Manor House of Anton Chekhov in Melikhovo
Правообладатель изображений: The Manor House of Anton Chekhov in Melikhovo