World history: The exhibition “Faces of the Great War: the First World War in collections of the National Library of Russia” in Saint-Petersburg

August 27, 2014 in the Korf hall of the National library of Russia (Saint-Petersburg) opens one of the most large-scale and most diverse exhibitions, dedicated to the First World War “Faces of the Great War: the First World War in collections of the NLR”.

The exhibition features rare editions from the collections of the NLR – books, war diaries, posters, albums, newspapers, magazines, archival documents, postcards and other rare exhibits, telling of various aspects of life during the war.

One of the sections of the exhibition is dedicated to works by Russian writers, poets and philosophers, who became participants and witnesses of military events - Dmitry Merezhkovsky, Nikolai Gumilev, Michael Prishvin, Nikolai Berdyaev. There will be featured never reprinted newspaper chronicles of 1914-1916 by poets-participants of war Andrei Bely and Valery Bryusov.

A special place in the exposition belongs to lithograph from the album of the Russian artist avant-garde writer Natalia Goncharova “Mystical Images of War” (Moscow, 1914). Sheets of the cycle, continuing the tradition of lithographed futuristic book, belong to the most significant works of the XX century.

First you will be able see the film poster for propaganda films, as well as rare artifacts - moving cartoons, icons charitable fees, cutout paper soldiers of different armies, wrappers from chocolate with military and patriotic themes.

The materials from the Department of the NLR will tell of the activity of libraries and the life of its readers in 1914-1918.

The exhibition also presents letters, photographs, albums, telling of the work produced during the war, health care facilities. Among the exhibits are materials from the Department of Prints of the NLR and archival photographs provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Propaganda posters and charity posters of famous Russian painters and graphic artists Vasnetsov, Korovin, Pasternak, Vinogradov, Lancere, Dobuzhinskiy will tell about social life during the war.

The Department of Cartography features maps of areas of combat operations, as well as operational staff maps with details of Russian intelligence. Among the exhibits - a card dedicated to one of the major battles on the French front, as well as “The scheme of the enemy in front of the XI Army by 21 December 1916”, “The principal place of Russian prisoners of war interned in Germany and Austria-Hungary” (Petrograd, 1916) and others. It is also presented a propaganda material – “Map of the future of Europe (as it was represented by William, "King of Europe”, Moscow, 1914)” with a demonstration of aggressive plans of the German Empire.

The exposition will run at several grounds in the Main building of the NLR until September 30.