McCanless, Christel Ludewig (SC-27) Finding Aids to Special Collections in the VMFA Archives | Christel Ludewig McCanless
Collection Related to Peter Carl Fabergé SC-27 Special Collection 27 (SC-27)
The collection represents portions of the extensive research library and archives formed by Christel Ludewig McCanless over
forty years. A noted Fabergé scholar, McCanless published the first annotated bibliography of literature about Fabergé in
1994, the premiere encyclopedia about the Fabergé eggs in 2001, and founded the "Fabergé Research Newsletter" and "Fabergé
Research" website in 2006. While dedicated to research about the artistry of Fabergé, McCanless' collection also includes
numerous resources on Russian history, culture, and artwork.
The collection is subject to all copyright laws. Transmission or reproduction of other materials protected by copyright,
beyond that allowed by fair use, requires the researcher to obtain permission of copyright holders.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Custodial History
The collection is comprised of materials donated by Christel Ludewig McCanless. The original donation occured in 2016, with
periodic accretions received a few times each year. Series 6 was donated in November 2019.
Preferred Citation
Christel Ludewig McCanless Collection Related to Peter Carl Fabergé (SC-27). Gift of Christel Ludewig McCanless. VMFA Archives,
Richmond, Virginia.
Processing Information
Original order and folder titles were retained during processing.
Born on November 20, 1939, in Peenemünde, Germany, Christel Ludewig McCanless is a former librarian and noted Fabergé scholar.
She currently resides with her husband George in Huntsville, Alabama, where she immigrated with her parents after fleeing
Russian occupied East Germany in 1953. Her father, Hermann R. R. Ludewig, was a missile and space engineer at the Peenemünde
Army Research Center under Wernher von Braun.
While serving as the Library Director of the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the 1960s, she became interested in the
art of Fabergé after reading Robert K. Massie's book, "Nicholas and Alexandra," and Morton Shulman's book, "Anyone Can Make
a Million." Massie's book provided the historical details of imperial Russia in which the decorative art of the Russian court
jeweler, Peter Carl Fabergé, flourished. Shulman's book discussed how one "can make a million" in collecting art objects.
As a practicing librarian, McCanless instead began collecting pieces of paper, in the form of books and journals, which mentioned
Fabergé and his art.
In 1994, she published her first book, "Fabergé and His Works: An Annotated Bibliography of the First Century of His Art,"
the first annotated bibliography of literature about Fabergé. Her second book followed in 2001, which she co-authored with
Australian scholar Will Lowes. "Fabergé Eggs: A Retrospective Encyclopedia" is the only work of its kind and is the premiere
reference work on the subject.
Through the course of her work, McCanless connected with a tremendous network of fellow Faberge scholars and enthusiasts and
as a result, went on to found the "Fabergé Research Newsletter" and "Fabergé Research" website in 2006. The site continues
to serve as a vehicle for disseminating new research and discoveries about Fabergé and his art.
Additional biographical information can be found at Encyclopedia.com (link provided by McCanless).
The collection's inclusive dates are 1971-2019, with the bulk of the material dating from the 1990s-2000s. The collection
is comprised of correspondence, writings, research materials, bibliographic records, auction results, audiovisual materials,
slides, books, posters, and realia.
This series is comprised of reference materials gathered by McCanless, including bibliographic records, auction results, correspondence,
and copies of articles. The series is divided into sub-series by topic.
SC-27-01.1
Sub-Series 1.1: Romanov Family
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 1
Alexei Nicolaeivna
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 2
Anastasia Nicolaeivna
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 3
Maria Nicolaeivna
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 4
Nicholas II
2 folders
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 5
Kurth
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 6
Bogdanovich
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 7
Nicholas II's Family Portraits
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 8
Maria Feodorovna
2 folders
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 9
Alexander III
2 folders
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 10
Surviving Romanovs
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 11
Romanovs
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 12
Xenia Alexandrovna
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 13
Olga Nikolaievna
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 14
Tatiana Nicolaievna
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 15
Alexandra Feodorovna
2 folders
SC-27-01.2
Sub-Series 1.2: Museums
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 16
Baden-Baden
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 17
Boston MFA
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 18
Brooklyn Museum
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 19
California Palace of the Legion of Honor
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 20
Cincinnati Museum of Art
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 21
Cleveland Museum of Art
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 22
Cooper-Hewitt
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 23
Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 24
Hillwood
4 folders
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 25
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 26
Manchester City Art Gallery
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 27
Maryhill
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 28
Metropolitan
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 29
Musee des Arts Decoratifs
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 30
Museum Idar-Oberstein
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 31
Musee National de la Marine
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 32
Museum of Applied Science and Technology
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 33
Nationalmuseum
mixed materials SC-27 Box 1 folder: 34
New Brunswick Museum
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 1
New Orleans Museum of Art
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 2
Queen's Gallery
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 3
Seattle Museum
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 4
Taft Museum
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 5
Topkapi Saray Museum
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 6
Victoria and Albert Museum
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 7
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
3 folders
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 8
Walters Art Gallery
SC-27-01.3
Sub-Series 1.3: Russian Museums
mixed materials SC-27 Box 4 folder: 1
All Russian Decorative Applied and Folk Art Museum
mixed materials SC-27 Box 4 folder: 2
Armory (Armoury) Museum and Palace, Moscow
mixed materials SC-27 Box 4 folder: 3
Fabergé Museum (Link of Times)
mixed materials SC-27 Box 4 folder: 4
Gokhran
mixed materials SC-27 Box 4 folder: 5
Hermitage Museum
mixed materials SC-27 Box 4 folder: 6
Peterhof State Museum Reserve
mixed materials SC-27 Box 4 folder: 7
Moscow Historical Museum (also State Historical Museum)
This series is comprised of original research conducted by McCanless in preparation for articles published in her "Fabergé Research Newsletter" and other publications. Files include reference materials, images, and drafts. The series is divided into sub-series by topics.
SC-27-02.1
Sub-Series 2.1: Fersman Portfolio
Scope and Content Note
McCanless published articles on the Fersman Portfolio in the Fall 2010, Winter 2010-2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Winter
2015, and Summer and Fall 2016 issues of her "Fabergé Research Newsletter".
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 9
Sapphire Brooches
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 10
Emerald Brooch
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 11
Emerald Pendant
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 12
D'Esclave Necklace
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 13
Turquoise Diadem
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 14
Diamond Rose Brooch
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 15
Plastron
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 16
Fersman Timeline
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 17
Large Magnifying Glass
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 18
Fersman Portfolio 1925-1926
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 19
Royal Jewels
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 20
Fersman and USGS
mixed materials SC-27 Box 2 folder: 21
Fersman (Apollo 1968)
SC-27-02.2
Sub-Series 2.2: Sailor
Scope and Content Note
McCanless published an article on the sailor figurine in the 2011 exhibition catalog "Fabergé Revealed".
This series is comprised of audiovisual materials (VHS, audiocassettes, and computer disks) related to Fabergé. Most of the
VHS tapes are annotated on the "Faberge Research" website .
moving images SC-27 Box 3
WAAY TV interview with McCanless by Greg Screws
1 item 1 VHS
April 21, 2003
moving images SC-27 Box 3
WAAY TV interview with McCanless by Greg Screws
1 item 1 VHS
April 9, 2004
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Nicholas and Alexandra
1 item 1 VHS
1971
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Lost to the Revolution
1 item 1 VHS
1981
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Carl Fabergé
1 item 1 VHS
1982
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Octopussy
1 item 1 VHS
1983
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Art of Fabergé
1 item 1 VHS
1989
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Pine Cone Egg
1 item 1 VHS
1989
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Carl Fabergé: Court Jeweler of the Tsars
1 item 1 VHS
1989-1990
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Living Dangerously - Malcolm Forbes: Grand Sportsman
1 item 1 VHS
1991
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Carl Fabergé: The Man with the Golden Hands
1 item 1 VHS
1992
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Murder, She Wrote - An Egg to Die For
1 item 1 VHS
1994
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Winter Egg
1 item 1 VHS
1994
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Good Morning America
1 item 1 VHS
1996
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Fabergé and Finland
1 item 1 VHS
1996
moving images SC-27 Box 3
The Palaces of St. Petersburg: An Imperial Adventure
1 item 1 VHS
1996
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Fabergé: Jeweler to the Tsar
1 item 1 VHS
1996
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Fabergé: Imperial Jeweler
1 item 1 VHS
1996
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Secret Treasures of the Kremlin
1 item 1 VHS
1996
Moving Images SC-27 Box 3
Lillian Thomas Pratt's Fabergé: Shopping, Collecting, Remembering
1 item 1 VHS
1996
Moving Images SC-27 Box 3
The Fabulous World of Fabergé
1 item 1 VHS
1996
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Pine Cone Egg Auction
1 item 1 VHS
1997
moving images SC-27 Box 3
The Last Tsar
1 item 1 VHS
1998
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Treasure! The Czar's Fabergé Eggs
2 item 1 VHS
1998
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Karl Fabergé, Jeweler of the Russian Empire
1 item 1 VHS
1999
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Treasures of the World
1 item 1 VHS
1999
moving images SC-27 Box 3
A Visit to Hillwood Museum and Gardens
1 item 1 VHS
2000
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Modern Marvels: Million Dollar Tech
1 item 1 VHS
2000-2001
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Collectible Treasures
1 item 1 VHS
2001
moving images SC-27 Box 3
The Royals & Their Pets
1 item 1 VHS
2003
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Fabergé/Cartier - Rivalen am Zarenhof
1 item 1 VHS
2003
moving images SC-27 Box 3
Cartier and Fabergé: Rivals at the Czar's Court
1 item 1 VHS
2004
Audio SC-27 Box 3
"Fabergé in America" New Orleans Museum of Art Acoustiguide
1 item 1 audiocassette
1996
computer disks SC-27 Box 3
"Fabergé Easter Eggs," State Museums Moscow Kremlin, Interactive Digital Resource
2 items 2 CD-ROMs
1992
Audio SC-27 Box 3
Frances Robb, HSU Art Museum, WLRH, Christel McCanless Interview (Fabergé)
This series is comprised of books and realia that document the pervasiveness of Fabergé in culture. The materials include
fiction books, posters, wall calendars, and a jigsaw puzzle.
Series 6: "Fabergé Eggs: A Retrospective Encyclopedia" Egg Data Files
2001-2019, undated
Scope and Contents
This series contains the data files for the book "Fabergé Eggs: A Retrospective Encyclopedia" (2001). The folders contain
the egg data in various versions, but not all the books, and journals and newspapers listed in the book's reference section.
Many files contain postcards, negatives, photographs, as well as bibliographic and research resources. The series also contains
a printed copy of the revised version of the book, which was never printed. Currently, 70 pages of the book are available
online through Google Books .
The series is organized into five sub-series by category, which were maintained from McCanless' original filing order.
SC-27-06.1
Sub-Series 6.1: Book Files
2001-2019
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 1
"Fabergé Eggs: A Retrospective Encyclopedia", Lowes and McCanless
2001
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 2
"Fabergé Eggs: A Retrospective Encyclopedia", Edited Version (1)
2001
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 3
"Fabergé Eggs: A Retrospective Encyclopedia", Edited Version (2)
2001
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 4
Tsar Imperial and Imperial Egg Data from Fabergé Research Site as of November 2019
2019
SC-27-06.2
Sub-Series 6.2: Imperial Eggs
undated
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 5
Imperial Eggs
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 6
15th Anniversary Egg 1911
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 7
Alexander III Commemorative Egg 1909
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 8
Alexander III Equestrian Egg (Alexander III Monument Egg) 1910
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 9
Alexander III Portraits Egg (Twelve Monogram Egg) 1896
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 10
Alexander Palace Egg (Twelve Panel Egg) 1908
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 11
Blue Serpent Clock Egg 1895
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 12
Blue Tsarevich Constellation Egg 1917
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 13
Catherine the Great Egg (Grisaille Egg) 1914
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 14
Caucasus Egg 1893
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 15
Cherub Egg with Chariot 1888
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 16
Clover Leaf Egg 1902
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 17
Cockerel Egg (Cuckoo Clock Egg) 1900
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 18
Colonnade Egg 1910
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 19
Coronation Egg 1897
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 20
Danish Palaces Egg 1890
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 21
Diamond Trellis Egg 1892
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 22
Egg with Revolving Miniatures (Revolving Miniatures Egg / Rock Crystal Egg) 1896
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 23
Empire Nephrite Egg (Alexander III Medallion Egg) 1902
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 24
First Hen Egg 1885
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 25
Flower Basket Egg (Basket of Flowers Egg) 1901
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 26
Gatchina Palace Egg 1901
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 27
Hen Egg with Sapphire Pendant 1886
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 28
Karelian Birch Egg 1917
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 29
Lillies of the Valley Egg 1898
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 30
Love Trophies Egg 1907
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 31
Madonna Lilly Clock Egg 1899
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 32
Mauve Egg with Three Miniatures 1897
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 33
Memory of Azov Egg 1891
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 34
Mosaic Egg 1914
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 35
Moscow Kremlin Egg (Uspenski Cathedral Egg) 1906
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 36
Napoleonic Egg 1912
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 5 folder: 37
Necessaire Egg 1889
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 6 folder: 1
Orange Tree Egg (Bay Tree Egg) 1911
Mixed Materials SC-27 Box 6 folder: 2
Order of St. George Egg (Cross of St. George Egg) 1916