The newspaper “Erivan Announcements” was published from 1901 to 1917. The editor-in-chief of the publication – theatrical figure, philanthropist, and publisher Emin Ter-Grigoryants – managed to create a platform that most fully reflected the life of Yerevan in those days.
On the pages of the bilingual newspaper, it was possible not only to post job offerings or whatnot in Armenian or Russian but also to find, say, the upcoming poster of the Apollo Theater or info about discounts in the women’s hat shop “Airship.”
On the pages of the newspaper, works of poets and satirists were published. However, of no less interest were the announcements of lost items. ImYerevan.com prepared a selection of such announcements published on the pages of “Erivan Announcements” in 1911.
Architect and statesman Vasily Zurabovich Mirzoyev announced the loss of a diamond brooch in a newspaper issue dated January 5, 1911. He did not bother to leave his contact info. But there was no need for that – entire Yerevan knew the engineer, as well as his place of residence.
How could you not know him when he was the author of such iconic buildings as the teacher’s seminary, the treasury (the Ministry of Agriculture in Sakharov Square), the provincial administration, the bank, the City Council, etc.? By the way, in those years, he was one of the initiators of the construction of a water supply system in Yerevan.
And here is the proof that Mirzoyev enjoyed infinite prestige among Yerevan residents. Literally in the next issue of “Erivan Announcements”, Mirzoev thanked Nork resident Hakob Poghosovich Melitosyants for finding the diamond brooch lost by his wife. Hakob became the happy owner of fifty rubles.
Oh, this female inattention! The brooch of Mirzoyev’s wife had been just found when another Yerevan fashionista lost a reticule. If someone does not know, a reticule is a women’s handbag on a long silk cord. This particular reticule contained a monogram with stylized interlaced initials that are the sign of a family, a house, or a clan. This is just in case if you find the reticule.
Perhaps a modern person speaks in us, seeing hidden PR in everything, but even if this is not the case, the wonderful “Shustov brandy” has become a bit more popular due to Ivan Nikolaevich’s lost wallet. This was a more serious loss. What’s more expensive – 50 rubles of remuneration for the find or the very bundle containing 14 small and 1 large gold coins?
Locum tenens, who also was the deputy of the Catholicos of All Armenians, possibly proceeding from patriotic feelings, decided to give an announcement in Armenian: “In a large envelope (package) on March 5, documents addressed to the locum tenens of the Catholicos of all Armenians consisting of 8 pages were lost. I request the finder to hand it over to the Consistory.” The Consistory was the church administration.
This announcement was published on September 7. After that, it was republished in the next five issues of the newspaper. You could probably imagine how valuable this collection of butterflies in a cherished box was for the owner.
The loss of a six-month-old puppy was a rather sad event. So sad that the owner threatened to self-prosecute the wrongdoer for harboring, albeit within the law.
Armen Muradyan & Grigor Yepremyan
