Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, often known as Madame Blavatsky, was a Russian and American mystic and author who co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. She gained an international following as the leading theoretician of Theosophy.
Blavatsky in 1877
An illustration of Yekaterinoslav – Blavatsky's birthplace – as it appeared in the early 19th century
A painting of Blavatsky and her mother, titled "Two Helens (Helena Hahn and Helena Blavatsky)" 1844–1845
Blavatsky's drawing of a boat scene, produced in England in 1851
The Theosophical Society is the organizational body of Theosophy, an esoteric new religious movement. It was founded in New York City, U.S. in 1875. Among its founders were Helena Blavatsky, a Russian mystic and the principal thinker of the Theosophy movement, and Henry Steel Olcott, the society's first president. It draws upon a wide array of influences among them older European philosophies and movements such as Neoplatonism and occultism, as well as parts of Asian religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.
Notes of the meeting proposing the formation of the Theosophical Society, New York City, 8 September 1875
Seal of the Theosophical Society, Budapest, Hungary
Main building of the Theosophical Society in Adyar, India, 1890
Theosophical Society, Basavanagudi, Bangalore
