1 July 1919 year in Chernihiv on Zastryzhennya, on modern Molodchyo Street, the Museum of Manor Life and Arts was opened for visitors in the house of Myloradovych, or the III Soviet Museum. Its first manager was a woman, which can be considered as a gender breakthrough in the museum field of Chernihiv Oblast, - Olena Illivna Chudnovska.

Народилася Олена 26 July (7 August) 1892 year in Chernihiv in the respected family of Ilya Ludvigovich Shrag, a lawyer, a well-known Ukrainian public and political figure, in the future - a member of the Ukrainian Central Council and Elizaveta Isakivna Macheret (in the first marriage Wichman). She had two brothers - the elder Volodymyr and the younger Mykola and two brothers - Lev and Oleksandr and two sisters - Raisa and Iryna from the first marriage of the mother.

Do 1911 Dr.. graduated from Chernihiv Women's Gymnasium, in 1916 Dr.. історико-філологічний факультет Вищих жіночих (Bestuzhevsky) courses in Moscow.

Влітку 1916 Dr.. met Vasyl Chudnovsky in Chernihiv, a young officer, who was treated after a concussion. He was born in 1893 Dr.. in Borzna in a Ukrainian Cossack family. His father is Kindrat Vasyliovych, small landowner, in 1901–1904. was a member of the Borzen District Zemstvo Administration, знався з О.О. Русовим. Vasyl studied well, graduated from a real school, at the Petrovo-Rozumov Academy, he obtained the specialty of agronomist.

24 In July, the young people got married and soon left for Oranienbaum, куди був направлений підпоручик Чудновський. In 1917 Dr.. in Petrograd, Vasyl joined the Ukrainian national liberation movement. Olena also did not shy away from Ukrainian ideas, because even in Moscow she became a member of the Ukrainian community, although not very active. На початку 1918 Dr.. Vasyl was demobilized and he and Elena moved to Kyiv, where the man started working in the UNR government as the head of one of the departments of the Ministry of Agriculture. After the Hetman coup, the family moved to Chernihiv: Vasyl Kindratovych lived in Shragiv for some time, and then went to his mother in Borzna. With the overthrow of the government of Hetman Skoropadsky and the establishment of the power of the Directory, he returned to Kyiv, and after the defeat of the Ukrainian army, together with other figures of the Ukrainian People's Republic, he moved to Poland.

Олена залишилася в захопленому більшовиками Чернігові, 18 January 1919 Dr.. gave birth to a daughter Tatyana. And in March, she was appointed head of the newly created Museum of Manor Life and Arts, which was located across the road from his parents' house. 11 квітня Ілля Людвігович Шраг помер.

Months and years passed. Olena Illivna plunged into museum work: described the sights, cataloged the collection, проводила екскурсії. Спілкувалася з членами родини, colleagues, M. Жуком, sisters Lizogub, doctor O. Vyshemirsky and other townspeople. Occasionally, occasion, received letters from her husband, but once, with Chernihiv, who emigrated to Poland, she managed to send Vasyl a photo of herself and the child. Attempts to obtain official permission to move to her husband were unsuccessful, therefore, the woman decided to "smuggle" the border crossing.

У жовтні 1922 In 2006, she, together with her daughter and her daughter-in-law, illegally got to Zdolbunov (now - a city in the Rivne region), where Vasyl lived. Two years later, the Chudnovskys legally returned to Ukraine, received USSR citizenship. Kharkiv was chosen as the place of residence.

In 1927–1934, Olena Illivna worked at the Museum of Ukrainian Art, яким керував С.А. Таранушенко. The staff of the museum was small, Olena was also a secretary, and a research associate - custodian of funds. Товаришувала з колегою – П.М. Жолтовським.

Then there was a short work as a secretary in the regional executive committee. A 30 April 1935 Elena was arrested. Vasyl Chudnovsky, convicted in 1930 Dr.. for counter-revolutionary activity, at that time he was released early and worked as a freelance specialist in the same "Labor Commune. t.Balytskyi", where he served his sentence, in Pryluky.

Chudnovska was accused of anti-Soviet agitation, participation in the activities of a counter-revolutionary organization and in helping Mark Voronom to try to cross illegally to Poland. The reason for the arrest was the testimony of Mark Voronoi, who was arrested in March. Olena Illivna rejected all the accusations, pleaded guilty only to that, that at one time crossed the border illegally, because she missed her beloved husband.

26 January 1936 Dr.. a trial was held. О.І. Шраг-Чудновську визнали винною й засудили до 3 years of imprisonment in correctional labor camps in remote areas of the USSR and 2 years of impairment in rights.

After the Second World War, the Chudnovskys lived in the town of Pokotylivka near Kharkiv.

Vasyl Kindratovych Chudnovsky, Evgenia Pavlivna Zholtovska-Obbarius,

Olena Illivna Chudnovska (Shrag). Харків, 1967.

In the 1950s and 1960s, they visited Chernihiv, Олена листувалася з І.М. Коцюбинською.

Olena Illivna died 22 April 1973 year. Rehabilitated 27 March 1990 Dr..

Scientific secretary of the museum, Ludmila Linyuk