In the early 1900s
Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii constructed
an ambitious plan for a photographic survey of the
Tsarist Russian Empire that won the support of Tsar
Nicholas II. Between 1907-1915 he completed surveys
of eleven regions, traveling in a specially equipped
railroad car provided by the Ministry of Transportation.
His early color photography offers a vivid portrait
of a lost world--the Russian Empire on the eve of
World War I and the coming revolution. His subjects
ranged from the medieval churches and monasteries
of old Russia, to the railroads and factories of
an emerging industrial power, to the daily life and
work of Russia's diverse population. In this screensaver
52 color photogaphs by Prokudin-Gorskii are presented.
See also
the companion screensaver: People of Tsarist Russia |