War diary of baron N.N. Wrangel "Dni scorbi. 1914-1915" as a historical record

The author analyzes the information potential of the war diary «Dni skorbi» by Baron N.N. Wrangel. Nikolai Nikolayevich Wrangel (1880-1915) is a parable figure in Russian history - in his short life, he has become one of the most prominent people of Silver age: he organized numerous exhibitions dedicated to Russian art of the XVIII-XIX centuries, created exhibition catalogues, books and many articles published in the magazines “Russian archive”, “Old years” and “Apollo”. Diary entries of baron N.N. Wrangel give a unique picture of the life of the front and rear in the first year of the world war, as well as the experiences, moods of thought and feelings of the author himself, who became its direct participant, a sensitive observer and a bright chronicler. The amplitude of chronological diary entries (dates, frequency) was determined, the sources and composition of materials were analyzed, an overview of the main subjects of concern of the author was given, the transformation of Baron N.N. Wran-gel's perception of the world war and manifestations of the identity of the author in “Dni skorbi” was determined as well as their information value and potential for the characterization of public sentiment in the Russian Empire and the work of the institutions of the Red Cross and other wartime organizations.