Scope and Content Note
The papers of Sergius Pankejeff (1887-1979) span the years 1901-1979, with the bulk of the items concentrated in the period between 1920 and 1950. The collection focuses primarily on the psychoanalysis of Pankejeff, one of Sigmund Freud's most famous analysands. The son of a wealthy Russian landowner, Pankejeff was educated on his father's estate by a series of private tutors. This education included instruction in sketching and painting, which remained a significant interest throughout his life. As a young man, Pankejeff traveled extensively. His aristrocratic lifestyle came to an abrupt end, however, with the collapse of the Russian monarchy in 1917. Thereafter, Pankejeff lived as an émigré in Austria, where he was obliged to earn his own living.
Early in life, Pankejeff developed a number of neuroses. In his twenties, he was examined by several neurological specialists for these problems and was eventually referred to Freud. Pankejeff is known as "the Wolf-Man" in psychoanalytic circles because of a childhood dream about wolves. Through Freud's analysis, Pankejeff's wolf-dream proved to be the key to understanding his childhood neuroses. A reproduction of Pankejeff's painting illustrating his wolf-dream is found among the photographs in his papers. In her "Foreword" to Pankejeff's memoirs, Anna Freud noted that, "The Wolf-Man stands out among his fellow figures by virtue of the fact that he is the only one able and willing to cooperate actively in the reconstruction and follow-up of his own case." [1]
Included in Pankejeff's papers are correspondence, subject files, writings, photographs, and art pertaining to his life and psychoanalysis. Textual material is almost exclusively in German.
The Correspondence series includes Pankejeff's letters to K. R. Eissler and his letters from his future wife, Therese; from Muriel Gardiner, his biographer; and from various other individuals.
The Subject File consists of Pankejeff's notes on art, astrology, history, human anatomy, linguistics, literature, mathematics, philosophy, psychiatry, and other subjects, as well as clippings and radio transcripts related to his autobiography.
The Writings series includes articles written by Pankejeff on liability insurance, from which he earned his livelihood, and psychoanalysis as well as a copy of the Swedish edition of The Wolf-Man.
The Photographs series contains images of Pankejeff from childhood through old age, family members, coworkers, and friends in addition to family outings and Siberia before World War I. There are also photographs identified by Pankejeff for inclusion in The Wolf-Man and shots of some of his paintings.
The Artwork series, located in Oversize, constitutes the largest portion of the collection and contains 161 sketches and paintings in a variety of media: oil, pastel, pencil, colored pencil, ink, watercolor, and gouache. Types of works include portraits, landscapes, still lifes, and scenes of villages, cities, farms, forests, mountains, and rivers. Subjects include self-portraits, portraits of Pankejeff's father, mother, and wife, views of Vienna and the surrounding countryside, studies of flowers, desk and writing implements, personal items, and common household objects. Most of these works are by Pankejeff himself.
An Additions series contains items added to the collection after it was initially processed as well as formerly closed material. It includes correspondence, principally with K. R. Eissler, a detailed horoscope prepared for Pankejeff in 1958, and notes and writings by Pankejeff. Notable among the additions are medical and psychiatric records compiled by Wilhelm Solms-Rödelheim which detail Pankejeff's treatment in the last years of his life. Also included are the results of Rorschach testing conducted on Pankejeff in 1955.
1. Sergius Pankejeff, The Wolf-Man (New York: Basic Books, 1971), xi.