Khudozhestvennyi albom fotografii s natury

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Collection History

The Library acquired the majority of the albums in this digital presentation during the early 1930s. Many were originally part of Romanov palace libraries nationalized by the Soviet government and sold abroad for hard currency.

Background

Subjects include Russian Orthodox churches, monasteries, and ecclesiastical art; views of cities, as well as small provincial towns; secular architecture; tsarist- and Soviet-era political exiles; and the diverse peoples of the Russian Empire. A number of albums include portraits of the Tsar or the imperial family; state occasions, military maneuvers, and relaxation at the imperial hunting lodge are all depicted. Represented as well are military operations, particularly during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. Russian Revolutionary-era photos are extensive, ranging from the immediate aftermath of the February Revolution, to the Stalinist period.

Many of the imperial association albums-that is, those presented as gifts to the royal family-are of superior technical and artistic quality, and in several cases mounted in bindings that are themselves works of art, incorporating silver, wood, and other decorative elements.

Related Resources

Hee-Gwone Yoo."Holdings of rare photographs and plate books at the Slavic and Baltic Division of The New York Public Library." Rosia yongu (Russian Studies), vol. 12, no. 1 (2002): [323]-332.

Collection Data

Names: Karelin, Andreĭ Osipovich (1837-1906) (Photographer)
Dates / Origin: Date Created: 18--?; Place: Nizhnii-Novgorod.
Library locations: Slavic and East European Collections; Shelf locator: Slav. Reserve Photo
Topics: Russians; Clothing & dress -- Russia -- Nizhnii Novgorod
Genres: Albumen prints
Notes: Ownership: Perl. June 18, 1931 on back of no. 1.; Content: 25 plates, each captioned: Khudozhestvennyi al'bom, fotograf s natury, v Nizhnem-Novgorode, khudozhn. A. Karelin.; Content: According to Pierre Apraxine: "partial album originally bound in red leather with gilt letters, now disbound and boxed in original cover bearing the title. 25 albumen prints (+/- 9 x 6") mounted on elaborately designed mounts, repeating the title and the place and adding in lower left corner: Artist A. Karelin. The prints are numbered in pencil, include posed studies of mostly young women, alone, in couples, or in groups, visiting an artist's studio, playing games, reading or looking at photographic albums, etc. Also family groups and a few portraits of 'types', beggars, peasant girls in costume. The majority of scenes are posed in comfortable, fashionable middle-class interiors (there are a few outdoor scenes) aiming to evoke the idyllic pleasures of youth, innocence, and family life. There is a conspicuous lack of naturalness in these 'tableaux' but a beautiful sense of light , an empathy for the young, and some striking portraits (no. 11, 20). This and similar work established Karelin's reputation as the preeminent Russian artistic photographer. The condition of the prints is good but many have yellowed. The mounts are very brittle at the covers. They should be encased in new mounts."; Statement of responsibility: khudozhnik i fotograf Imperatorskoi akademii khudozhestv Karelin.
Physical Description: Extent: 25 mounted photographs ; 41 cm.
Type of Resource: Still image
Identifiers: RLIN/OCLC: NYPX92-B4232; NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b11614033; Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): b1f08da0-c6bb-012f-67c8-58d385a7bc34