Leo Tolstoy

"I have received your offering and heartily thank you for it in the name of those whose sufferings will be relieved thanks to your charity."

During the famine that struck Russia's Black Earth region and the Volga basin, Tolstoy was one of the most active organizers of relief. He helped establish soup kitchens, raised funds, and used his international reputation to draw attention to the suffering of the rural farmers. He openly criticized the tsarist government and the Orthodox Church for their inadequate response to the crisis, a stance that likely contributed to his excommunication in 1901.

Condition: Lightly toned with smoothed folds and minor creasing. Short separation at the left edge of the center horizontal fold, not affecting text. Minor offset from Tolstoy's signature where letter was folded.

Leo Tolstoy

Seraphin Gallery, Philadelphia, PA