Pavel Ilyin Soviet Sailors Collection, ca. 1958-1991

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Summary

Creators:
Gohstand, Bob and Ilyin, Pavel
Abstract:
The Pavel Ilyin Soviet Sailors Collection contains dozens of small wooden sailors collected by Pavel Ilyin during his travels across the Soviet Union with his father, children's author Mikhail Ilyin.
Extent:
8 linear feet and 1.27 Gigabytes
Language:
Russian , English .
Preferred citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materialsguide.

Background

Scope and content:

The Pavel Ilyin Soviet Sailors Collection consists of 151 wooden sailor figurines collected in the Soviet Union during Mikhail and Pavel Ilyin's travels. It also includes comments on the collection from Ilyin's widow Ella Kagan in Russian, an English-language translation by Robert Gohstand, and a digital photo inventory and list created by Gohstand. Gohstand repaired some of the sailors that were damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Biographical / historical:

Pavel Ilyin and his father, children's author Mikhail Ilyin, first began collecting the small wooden sailors in 1958 when Mikhail began broadcasting a geographical-themed children's show on All-Union radio in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Mikhail was a popular children's author and worked on an All-Union radio series of children's geographical broadcasts, featuring young Zakhar Zagadkin and the cook Anton Kambuzov.

Mikhail and his son frequently traveled to different parts of the Soviet Union, and at each location they sought out locally-manufactured figures of sailors to add to their collection. The sailor project continued until 1982 when the radio show was terminated.

Shortly after, Pavel Ilyin and his family submitted papers to seek permission to emigrate, but were initially denied. As an adult Pavel worked as a geographer, and Robert and Maureen Gohstand became friends with the family after meeting the Ilyins in Moscow in 1984. Robert Gohstand prompted the Association of American Geographers to send a resolution in defense of the Ilyin family, and the Ilyins finally received permission to emigrate in 1987. Pavel packed the sailors to give to Gohstand in the United States. They almost didn't make it on the plane in Vienna as they were not deemed essentials, but a few phone calls later Gohstand secured their place on the flight to the United States.

Physical location:
Sailors are on display in the exhibit case in the University Library's Robert and Maureen Gohstand Reading Room.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:
Ephemera
Names:
Gohstand, Bob

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research use.

Terms of access:

Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Preferred citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materialsguide.

Location of this collection:
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330, US
Contact:
(818) 677-4594
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