How the ‘golden youth’ of Tsarist Russia pulled off WILD antics

Tired of the same old parties with dancing and champagne, Moscow’s party animals knew how to turn an evening into an event the whole city would be talking about. Once, a ball was held in Moscow in the style of the French Directory, complete with a special dress code. Red tailcoats were ordered in Paris for all the male guests, while the ladies arrived… barefoot or wearing sandals with straps studded with rings. Special guests at the ball – tattoo artists from London – decorated the bodies of every lady and gentleman who came through the door. And that was far from the only wild thing Moscow and St. Petersburg’s pleasure-seekers got up to.

A party with bugs

Rumors about Nikolai Ryabushinsky’s ‘Black Swan’ villa in Moscow became more outrageous with every telling. It was said that one of the scions of the famous merchant dynasty held “Athenian nights” there, featuring nude actresses. There was no official confirmation, however; gossips merely exchanged knowing winks and mysterious grimaces. But, even without the “Athenian nights”, there was plenty to marvel at in Ryabushinsky’s mansion.

For example, for the apple blossom festival, tables for the guests were set up on a terrace overlooking the garden. As evening fell, lights illuminated the trees and grass. Until morning, the guests wandered through an enchanted garden filled with mechanical butterflies, frogs and grasshoppers. They jumped and crawled around, and the ladies would frequently shriek in surprise. And even without the insects, there was plenty to marvel at in the villa: a leopard was kept chained up as a guard.

Africa at the Red Gates

Muscovites were generally fascinated by wild cats and other exotic creatures. Mikhail Khludov, the son of factory owner Alexei Khludov, was one of the first Russian entrepreneurs to travel to Central Asia. From there, in addition to lucrative business contracts, he brought back a tigress. She was as well-trained as any police dog and accompanied him everywhere – to restaurants and to social gatherings; she even greeted guests who came to the Khludovs’ home. The artist Konstantin Korovin titled his painting of this encounter ‘Africa at the Red Gates’: “I froze in surprise – behind the poodle appeared a monster at least a sazhen [old Russian unit of length that equals 7 feet or about 2.13 meters - ed.] long, mighty, orange, as if entwined with black ribbons. Its enormous paws stepped silently across the parquet floor; it seemed to me that its large yellow eyes were staring right at me.”

Khludov tried to pass his love of wild animals on to his family. Once, in front of a group of guests, an enormous crate was brought into the drawing room. The lid was ripped off, revealing a birthday present for his wife – a live crocodile.

In his book ‘Moscow and Muscovites’, Vladimir Gilyarovsky recalled the last time he saw Khludov. At a dog show in the Manege exhibition hall, he was sitting on a stool inside an iron cage, drinking cognac from a silver glass. At his feet sat the tigress, resting her head on his lap.

Leeches for lunch

Leon, the son of oil tycoon Alexander Mantashev, was said to be a gambler and a man of good fortune. In 1912, he made eight million rubles through stock market transactions and threw a party for 100 guests.

The dinner cost 200,000 rubles – enough to buy an entire factory. Screens were installed over the windows to show the latest movies, while three orchestras played in the hall. Gifts awaited the guests: brooches and gold cigarette cases.

And then there was the extraordinary menu. Russian, Caucasian and French dishes were served. Restaurateur Lucien Olivier brought oysters, artichokes, asparagus, and lobsters from Paris. Trout and lamb were delivered from Tiflis, while sturgeon came from Astrakhan. Moscow taverns supplied ‘rasstegai’ pies, ‘shchi’ soup made with a day’s fermentation and buckwheat porridge for the hungover gentlemen’s breakfast.

But, the very first course left everyone speechless: fried leeches… stuffed with goose blood!

A star named Felix

Felix Yusupov, heir to one of the wealthiest families in Russia, loved playing tricks on people. As a teenager, he and his cousin Vladimir Lazarev would dress in women’s clothes and go for walks along Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg. Thanks to his slender build and delicate features, the prince was virtually indistinguishable from the beauties of St. Petersburg.

One day, his brother Nikolai recommended to the director of the St. Petersburg restaurant ‘Aquarium’ a “French songstress with the latest Parisian numbers”. Her six performances were sold out: flowers were thrown at her feet and declarations of love were sent to her.

Things were heading toward a permanent contract when someone noticed the singer’s magnificent jewelry… which belonged to Princess Yusupova. Felix’s secret was exposed and, for a long time afterward, he was scolded for taking his mother’s diamonds without permission.