History and Culture: "Colourful Pieces of Empire" exhibition of colour slides of the 1900s - the 1910s to open in Moscow

On March 26, 2021, the Alexander Shchusev State Museum of Architecture and the Dialogue Gallery will present a unique exhibition of colour slides by K. E. Berggren of the 1900s - the 1910s.

The "Colourful Pieces of Empire" exhibition features a rare collection of more than 200 hand-painted colour slides with views of Moscow and other regions of the Russian Empire, made by Karl Elof Berggren, Swedish military officer, the officer of the General Staff in the 1900s - the 1910s. The presented collection is distinguished by unique photographic technology of projection glass diapositives, the author's concept and a non-trivial selection of subjects.

Berggren served in the Swedish Red Cross mission in the Russian Empire for about ten years. He was fluent in Russian and travelled a lot, discovering and exploring the most distant nooks of the Russian Empire. During his journeys, a photography enthusiast created a real photo chronicle of Russian life of the early XX century.

The plots of the images are very diverse. The colourful images of Moscow landscapes of the 1900s are of particular interest. They make up almost half of the collection - 90 slides. The archive contains panoramic shots from the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, views of the Kremlin and the Moskva River, and images of various sights. Precise pictures of architecture coexist with images of urban life.

Part of the archive tells about the Crimean sights. It is the unique evidence of the life of the Crimean Tatars. A series of slides with views of the recently conquered Turkestan Territory includes engaging images of the local citizens and ancient buildings of Samarkand and Bukhara. Another group comprises remarkable views of the Caucasus Mountains, Tiflis and Mtskheta and portraits of residents. Some slides convey the charm of the country life and Russian wedding traditions.

As a Swedish officer, Karl Elof Berggren Berggren was interested in the military and other sides of soldiers' life. The photographs of soldiers on the march in a snow-covered land and railway stations during the transfer of troops render the spirit of the times between the Russo-Japanese and the First World War. The author pays special attention to military parades and manoeuvres on Teatralnaya and Voskresenskaya squares in Moscow, cavalry squadrons and infantry grenadier units, artillery batteries and majestic palace grenadiers. A small series tells about the life of the Sumsky Regiment - a cavalry unit stationed in Moscow.

The exhibition will run until May 16, 2021.