TCV Roundtable Blog

100 Greatest Women On Coins Series: Elena Aladova

A "relatively unknown figure" who made a major impact is at the forefront of our blog series following along with Whitman Publishing's 100 Greatest Women on Coins. Author Ron Guth takes us through a specific time of her life as war tore through her country and more specifically, the art world in which she was heavily revered.

#97 – Elena Aladova

In 1941, the State Art Gallery in Belarus featured more than 2,700 pieces. This included French tapestries, Russian paintings, religious artwork, furniture, porcelain, handmade woolen bedspreads, and more. However, the catalog of the collection would never be completed before the war and the Nazi invasion. The collection did not survive as many went to Germany, others disappeared, and some destroyed.

Later on in 1944, the staff at the museum, including Elena Aladova, attempted to...read more