Old Believers, Bolsheviks and bourgeoisie: The many faces of bygone Russia captured on camera by one of first photojournalists
- Pictures taken by Maxim Dmitriev - one of the founders of the photojournalism genre
- Among images: White army general, marketplaces and 'Old Believers'
- Many show scenes in
cities along the Volga river
A pair of weather-beaten woodsmen stare at a camera as they lean against a log pile in the bitter cold; in another image, a general resplendent in his military regalia strikes a pose.
These remarkable photos, from the late 19th and early 20th century, form part of a collection showing the many faces of Russia.
As well as depicting everyday scenes of city life - such as gatherings at marketplaces, and tramps in 1897 - they also focus on the political upheaval of the time, the rise of the Bolsheviks and the Russian Revolution.
There is even a shot of the nation's first car from the late 1890s - which looks more like a carriage than an automobile.
Woodsmen from late 19th century Russia, as photographed by Maxim P Dmitriev, one of the founders of the photojournalism genre
Among Dmitriev's subjects
was General Voitsekhovsky (left), who fought for the White army against the
Bolshevik reds during the Russian Civil War of 1917-23; right, military
commissioner Orlov in 1928
People gather at a marketplace in 1897. Dmitriev travelled the length of the Volga river to take his photographs
Oznobishin, a merchant caught on camera by Dmitriev, who observed society at all levels
Tramps in 1897 in Nizhniy Novgorod, now Russia's fifth largest city
He travelled to cities along the Volga river and received numerous awards in Paris, Amsterdam, Chicago and New York for his pioneering work.
Among his subjects was General Voitsekhovsky, who fought for the White army against the Bolshevik reds during the Russian Civil War of 1917-23.
Another shows a group of Old Believers deep in prayer.
Taken in 1897, they
were members of a
fundamentalist Russian orthodox sect which had been persecuted since the days of
Peter the Great in the early 18th century.
When the Bolsheviks swept into power, many Old Believer communities fled to Siberia to escape religious persecution.
Life for them would become even worse during the Stalinist purges of the 1930s when Christianity and other religions were outlawed.
Russia's first car, seen here in 1897, had rubber tyres on wooden wheels, and had a top speed of 13mph
Children share a bowl of food in Bolshoi Murashkin in the early 1900s
Huge crowds gather at Romodanovsky railway station
Policemen of Nizhniy Novgorod, which was the trade capital of the Russian Empire by the mid-19th century
The early car pictured, which had rubber tyres on wooden wheels, was designed by E. Yakovlev and P. Freze and was presented at the Nizhniy Novgorod Industry and Art Exhibition.
It had a maximum speed of 13mph and carried enough fuel to run for ten hours. Although it was intended for mass production, it never quite took off - possibly because the public was not ready for such an innovation.
Other photographs shot
in Nizhniy - which was the trade capital of the Russian Empire by the mid-19th
century - include its police force and an extremely crowded railway station.
Maxim
Petrovich Dmitriev was born in 1858 into a family of house
servants.
As a boy,
he moved to Moscow where he found work as a labourer. In 1873, he became a
photographer's apprentice
Four years later, he was able to retouch work at his mentor's studio in Nizhniy Novgorod, at a time it was becoming a major industrial hub.
A meeting in Blagoveschenskya Square in 1917, at the start of the Russian Revolution
Kerzhensky Old Believers monastery in 1897. They were members of a fundamentalist Russian orthodox sect which had been persecuted since the days of Peter the Great in the early 18th century
He honed
his skills into the 1880s, observing society at all levels, under the guidance
of renowned Russian photographer Karelin.
By the
1890s, he opened a studio where he created the album The Year Of Poor Crops of
1891-1892, which was published in 1893.
This
inspired other photographers and similar works began to appear in magazines and
newspapers - leading to the concept of Russian
'photo-reporting'.
Other work
by him at this time included The Peasants Receive The Charity Bread - increasing
public awareness of such issues, which in turn influenced government
policy.
After the revolution of 1917, the Soviets kept an eye on Dmitriev as he was the owner of a studio that employed a workforce.
He died in obscurity in Nizhniy in 1948.
Dmitriev received numerous awards in Paris, Amsterdam, Chicago and New York for his pioneering work
Old Believers in prayer in 1897. When the Bolsheviks swept into power, many Old Believer communities fled to Siberia to escape religious persecution
A group of priests pose for Dmitriev
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