Pharmacists and the Stray Dog 1911-1912

The basement "Stray Dog" of the Artistic Society of the Intimate Theater was solemnly opened on New Year's Eve from December 31, 1911, to January 1, 1912, at the address Mikhailovskaya Square, house 5. At first, it was a closed club: the entrance of random people from the street was practically excluded. To get inside, poets of the Silver Age had to wake the sleepy janitor, pass through two Petersburg courtyard wells, turn left in the third, go down to the basement, and push a heavy door covered with oilcloth. And there visitors found themselves in another world: stuffiness, loud music, colorful walls, the noise of a huge electric fan.

Theatrical performances, lectures, poetic and musical evenings were held here. It was in the "Dog" that many poems and musical pieces were first heard, about which many memories have been preserved. The name implied that any "stray," but necessarily creative people, could come to the basement and warm up. Soon the place became very popular. Famous people continued to be admitted free of charge, while ordinary spectators, who flocked to the café in crowds, had to pay three rubles for an entrance ticket. The bohemians nicknamed them "pharmacists." It was very cramped and noisy, but at the same time, the establishment was filled with an extraordinary intoxicating and mesmerizing atmosphere of feverish fun. For the opening of the basement, the poet Vsevolod Knyazev composed a "dog hymn," set to music by pianist and composer Shpis von Eschenbruch:

In the second courtyard, a basement,

There is a dog's shelter.

Everyone who got here —

Is simply a stray dog.

But in that is pride, in that is honor,

To crawl into that basement!

Woof!

Alexei Tolstoy took the most active part in organizing the "Stray Dog." It is no coincidence that the opening of the "Stray Dog" almost coincided with Alexei Tolstoy's birthday — two days before the opening of the basement, the count turned 29. Tolstoy helped Pronin to gather many Petersburg celebrities for the New Year's Eve opening night of the basement. Although the basement's renovation was not fully completed, the cream of Petersburg art lovers appeared there in luxurious outfits, tailcoats, etc. Tickets for outsiders were very expensive. Thus, a financial base for the club was established. At the entrance to the hall stood a counter, and on it — a large "Pig Book," in which visitors wrote their autographs, poets — impromptus, artists — sketches. The visitors of the "Dog" on this New Year's Eve represented the quintessence of artistic Petersburg: Karsavina, Fokin, Yuriev, Anna Akhmatova, Nikolai Gumilev, Balmont, Igor Severyanin, Sasha Cherny, Osip Mandelstam and Georgy Ivanov, Ilya Sats, Sergey Makovsky, and others. The opening of the "Stray Dog" became a notable event in the theatrical and artistic life of Saint Petersburg.

Gradually, the traditions of the "dog" lifestyle were formed, and the "Dog" created its own symbolism and emblems. Above the entrance to the basement hung the coat of arms of the "Dog": a sitting stray dog, placing its paw on an antique mask. This heraldic shield was personally painted by M.V. Dobuzhinsky.

It was precisely the performances at the "Stray Dog" that brought fame to Anna Akhmatova. This turbulent, boiling artistic life was only one side of the basement's life. Another, no less, and perhaps even more important, was the liberation of the individual, that spiritual freedom which could not but remain in the memory of everyone who ever visited the "Stray Dog." This magical feeling of freedom... Here, for the first time, the full power of Mandelstam's voice sounded. And Akhmatova's voice. Here many remarkable lines by M.A. Kuzmin and N.S. Gumilev, V. Khlebnikov and I. Severyanin were first read — and written! And who knows if Akhmatova would have become the Akhmatova we know, and Mandelstam the Mandelstam we know, if the "Stray Dog" had not been part of their lives.

Here many chains are untied, —

Everything is preserved by the underground hall.

And those words said at night,

Would not be said by another in the morning...

The circle of basement visitors was wide and diverse. Its core consisted of the actual members of the "Stray Dog" — the arrangers and organizers of the basement, board members, actors, artists, musicians of the "Intimate Theater Society." They were joined by "friends of the Dog" — poets, writers, playwrights, art historians, critics, actors, and artists from other theatrical groups, composers, performers — in short, people of art, as well as patrons who helped the "Dog" both financially and in its relations with state and public organizations. But among the basement visitors, especially in the second period of its existence, there was also a fairly large number of curious onlookers who wanted to observe how actors and writers relaxed and entertained themselves, visitors only remotely connected to the world of the artistic intelligentsia. These visitors were called "pharmacists" by Nikolai Sapunov during the organization of the basement, and this name stuck with them. Sometimes it was replaced by an even more derogatory nickname "pharmacept."

The magical New Year's night of 1913. It was remembered by all present. The hymn, reading of parodic telegrams, awarding of "Dog" orders, chansonettes, pantomimes in masks, endless laughter and fun...

On this festive night, January 1, 1913, Akhmatova wrote:

 We are all drunkards here, harlots,

 How cheerless it is for us together!

 On the walls, flowers and birds

 Yearn for the clouds.

Anna Akhmatova was always accompanied at the "Stray Dog" by a retinue of friends, admirers, and lovers. She would come on stage, assume a regal pose, and melodiously recite her poems. The poetess adored being here and dedicated several poems to this cabaret: "We are all drunkards here, harlots..." and "Yes, I loved them, those nightly gatherings..." At a table in the hall sat Osip Mandelstam, resembling a young Pushkin, hastily trying to capture this unique moment on a scrap of paper:

 Half-turned, oh sorrow,

 Looked at the indifferent.

 Falling from the shoulders, petrified

 A pseudo-classical shawl..."

Benedict Livshits left an outwardly ironic but essentially admiring description of this "intimate parade," where the poet turned into an actor on the stage, and the reader — into a spectator. Here is just one excerpt from his texts dedicated to this time: "Draped in black silk, with a large cameo oval at her waist, Akhmatova floated in, lingering at the entrance to inscribe her latest poems in the 'pig' book, poems by which the naive 'pharmacists' made guesses that tickled their curiosity."

In a long tailcoat and black regatta, not leaving any beautiful woman unnoticed, Gumilev retreated, backing between tables, either observing court etiquette or fearing a "dagger gaze in the back."

Here is another episode. The "pharmacists" took all the free seats; that day their favorite Nikolai Gumilev was to perform. As befits a star, the poet was very late. The audience fixed their gaze on the entrance door. But then their idol burst in — artistically haughty, in a top hat, with a white pet mouse he always carried in his sleeve, which shocked the public. The poet ascended the stage and began to read his poems. The audience was delighted!

Vladimir Mayakovsky often reclined here on a Turkish drum in the pose of a wounded gladiator and beat it every time a new visitor entered. He performed infrequently because his readings rarely went without scandals. On February 11, 1915, the 20-year-old poet read his famous poem "To You," which caused the closure of the art café.

 "To you, who live through orgy after orgy,

 Who have a bath and a warm closet!

 How shameful it is for you to read out

 From the newspaper columns about those presented to George?"…

Having finished, Mayakovsky continued to stand on stage with defiant calm and smoked a cigar. The audience froze in amazement, as many of them were factory owners, entrepreneurs, former military men. Outraged and puzzled shouts were heard; the wealthy were unprepared for such blatant criticism. A scandal followed, which became known even to Emperor Nicholas II. Mayakovsky performed infrequently because his readings rarely went without scandals. The city authorities were outraged; Governor Obolensky ordered the closure of the "Stray Dog." Soon, several policemen raided the basement and caught Mayakovsky, Gumilev, and Tolstoy playing illegal card games. Moreover, illegal alcohol sales were discovered during the "dry law" introduced at the start of World War I. The poet also started a fight. After the closure, the successor to this establishment, where the entire creative elite moved, became the cabaret "Comedians' Halt" at Mars Field, 7. Thus ended the short but bright history of the little basement where all the Petrograd bohemians gathered.

In 2001, Vladimir Alexandrovich Sklyarsky, deputy director of the Mikhailovsky Theater, revived the legendary art café. Today, the premises have doubled in size compared to 1912, but its unique atmosphere remains the same. The café's diverse menu includes the very dishes that were served to its legendary visitors. In 2012, the "Stray Dog" celebrated its centenary. Today, personal exhibitions of artists, performances, performances, and concerts are held here. Famous Petersburg and Moscow actors and singers, musical groups, and young theatrical collectives perform on the art basement stage. The program includes many productions dedicated to the historical past of the art café and the people connected with it.

Sources:

https://spb.aif.ru/society/people/sobachiy_priyut_gde_razvlekalis_poety_serebryanogo_veka

http://www.vsobaka.ru/content/articles/361/

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stray_Dog_(cafe)

https://kudago.com/spb/place/vsobaka/