Russian Empire. A Collection of Color Photographs

Sergey Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky (1863–1944) — inventor, photographer, publisher, and public figure, pioneer of color photography in Russia. The goal of Sergey Mikhailovich's work was to capture the beauty and richness of the Russian Empire "in natural colors," using the technology of frame combination. From 1903 to 1916, Prokudin-Gorsky managed to take about three and a half thousand color photographs, which make up his unique legacy "Collection of Landmarks of the Russian Empire," stored in the Library of Congress of the United States. Prokudin-Gorsky's collection is a kind of encyclopedia of the history of the Russian Empire. Many monuments of the past captured by the photographer can only be seen in these images. The lifestyle is no longer there, and most importantly, those people — witnesses and participants in the events that took place in the Russian Empire in the early 20th century. The book presents both well-known and quite rare photographs taken by the photographer while traveling through Central Russia, the Mariinsk Water System, Central Asia, the Urals, Siberia, and the Caucasus.