The Presidential Library will feature the first color photographs of the Russian Empire in Berlin

On October 11, 2017, at 7 pm MSK the Presidential Library will feature an exhibition of the first color photographs of the Russian Empire entitled “Vast expanses of Russia in color photography by Sergei Prokudin-Gorsky” at the Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin. The exhibition will be held in the course of the 69th Frankfurt Book Fair and will last until October 15, 2017.

40 from more than two thousand digitized photographs created by the founder of color photography Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky from the collection of the Presidential Library will be exposed for the first time in the German capital. The exhibition’s partner is Kosko Advertising and Production Company.

The exposition will include photographs made by Prokudin-Gorsky during his travels across the Russian Empire at the beginning of the XX century under the decree of Emperor Nicholas II. The camera captured the unique natural landscapes of currently Leningrad and Vologda oblasts, architectural and cultural monuments of the Yaroslavl and Tver oblasts, the scenes of everyday life and labor of all strata of the population of the Russian Empire. In addition, the exhibition will present photographs of the territories that once belonged to the Russian Empire (modern Finland, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia).

Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky is known as a chemist scientist, who greatly contributed into the development of technology of color photography. The entire life of Prokudin-Gorsky, who learned from the famous scientists in St. Petersburg, Berlin and Paris, was dedicated to it. Prokudin-Gorsky became popular for his large-scale photography expeditions across the Russian Empire. In 1905, he made the first large photography travel around Russia, which objective was “capturing all the sights of our vast country in natural colors.” He has taken then about 400 color pictures of the Caucasus, Crimea and Ukraine.

The state assistance in carrying out the expeditions consisted of transportation support and a permission to visit all corners of the Empire, as well as in providing support from the local authorities.

In total, several trips were undertaken: in 1909, the Mariinsky water system was visited, and in the autumn the first trip across the Urals was completed. The following year, two expeditions along the Volga River took place: from its source to Nizhny Novgorod, and in the interval between these expeditions — in the summer — a second trip to the Urals followed. In 1911 Sergei Mikhailovich visited Vladimir, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Alexandrov, Yaroslavl and Kostroma, took the first photographs of places connected with the memory of 1812 — Mozhaisk and Borodino. In the spring and autumn of the same year, the photographer had managed to visit the Transcaspian Oblast and Turkestan twice, where he first tried color filming, but the result was not enough to satisfy him. In 1912, two photography expeditions to the Caucasus and Transcaucasia was undertaken, the Mugan steppe (prairie) was shot, another trip was attempted to the Urals and Western Siberia along the projected Kama-Tobolsk waterway, and Suzdal, Ryazan, Kolomna, construction of the Kuzmin and Beloomut dams on the Oka River, and another large series of photographs of the sights connected with the memory of the Patriotic War of 1812 was made: Maloyaroslavets, Vyazma, Smolensk, Berezina, Drissa, Dvinsk, Kovno, etc.

In 1916, the last substantial government order came — a trip along the Murmansk Railway, on the southern part of it from Zvanka to Kemi, along with it Sergei Mikhailovich managed to visit the Solovetsky Islands and take a number of pictures of the famous monastery.

As a rule, all the shootings were conducted in the summer, preliminary processing was carried out on the same day on the spot, often delaying until the late night, and if the result did not require re-shooting, the expedition went on.

Apart from their great historical value the works of S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky also bear ultimate cultural value: restorers reconstruct cultural monuments basing on them. “An important goal pursued by color photography is to leave a document for the future. We have in our hands a precious means of saving from oblivion all the collapsing monuments,” — the photographer said.

As part of the exhibition opening, the “Snapshot of Russia: from the beginning to present day” round table will be held in TV-bridge format, connecting Berlin and Saint Petersburg for discussing the relevant issues of keeping and salvaging of the historical and contemporary photographic heritage of both Russia and Germany.

On October 12, 2017, at 3:30 pm MSK the Presidential Library will introduce the “Vast expanses of Russia in color photography by Sergei Prokudin-Gorsky” project to participants and guests of the Frankfurt Book Fair in Frankfurt am Main.

An agenda of the October 11th event on in the Presidential Library (3 Senate Square, St. Petersburg, RF 190000):

7:00—7:10 — official opening of the “Vast expanses of Russia in color photography by Sergei Prokudin-Gorsky” exhibition (in video-conferencing mode with Berlin).

7:10—7:30 — “Snapshot of Russia: from the beginning to present day” round table.

An accreditation of media representatives to the event in the Presidential Library (3 Senate Square, St. Petersburg, RF 190000) will last until 3 pm on October 10, 2017.

Please, submit your applications for accreditation in the attached form with the “Media accreditation” note in subject line over email to Maria Perestoronina perestoronina@prlib.ru, Press Service of the Presidential Library, phone +7 (812) 305 1621 (ext. 781), mobile: +7 (921) 099 9752.

Your application on the attached form must specify a media name, a full name of media representative, a date and a place of the representative’s birth, full passport or picture id details (series, number, when and by what body it was issued, place of residence), a carry-on equipment (including notebooks and tablet computers), and the contact phone numbers.

Please be advised, that the event participants and guests enter the Presidential Library through the entrance № 1, and the media representatives — through the entrance № 2 by appointment only and without any exceptions upon presentment of passport or picture id.