The Photographs of Prokudin-Gorsky: A Glimpse of a Lost World

Using the emerging technology of color photography, Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky (1863–1944) undertook several photographic expeditions to capture images of the Russian Empire. Most of his work took place between 1909 and 1915, though some photographs date as early as 1905. At the time, the Russian Empire stretched roughly 7,000 miles east to west and 3,000 miles north to south. It encompassed one-sixth of the Earth’s land surface, making it the largest empire in history, spanning what are now eleven time zones. [caption id="attachment_32008" align="aligncenter" width="484"] Abutment for a dam and house belonging to the government. [Kuzminskoe] Prokudin-Gorsky, Sergey Mikhaylovich, 1912[/caption]Tsar Nicholas II supported Prokudin-Gorsky’s ambitious endeavor by granting him travel permits and access to various modes of transportation, including trains, boats, and automobiles. His journeys are preserved in photographic albums that include the original negatives. One album also features miscellaneous images, including scenes from other parts of Europe. The photographs capture a broad array of subjects: religious architecture and shrines (churches, cathedrals, mosques, and monasteries); religious and secular artifacts (such as vestments, icons, and items linked to saints, former Tsars, and the Napoleonic Wars); infrastructure and public works (railroads, bridges, dams, and roads); a variety of industries (including mining, textile production, and street vending); agricultural scenes (like tea plantations and field work); portraits, which often showed people in traditional dress, as well as cityscapes, villages, natural landscapes, and blooming plants. Besides being a photographer, Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky was a chemist who is renowned for his pioneering contributions to color photography in the early 20th century. In 1901, he traveled to Berlin to study photochemistry before returning to Russia, where he outfitted a railroad car as a mobile darkroom with the support of Tsar Nicholas II. As he traveled across the Russian Empire, he documented its people and landscapes, eventually earning recognition in Russia, Germany, and France. In 1906, he was appointed head of the photography section of Fotograf-Liubitel, Russia’s leading photography journal. One of his most famous works is a color portrait of Leo Tolstoy, taken in 1908. “By capturing the result of artistic inspiration in the full richness of its colors on the light-sensitive photographic plate, we pass the priceless document to future generations,” wrote Prokudin-Gorsky. As a nobleman, inventor, professor, and pioneer of color photography in Russia, Prokudin-Gorsky had a deep sense of national identity and heritage. Although he was unable to complete his grand project due to the outbreak of World War I and increasing social unrest across the Russian Empire, he still managed to capture photographs in regions such as the Urals, Siberia, Crimea, Dagestan, Finland, and Central Asia, as well as along the Volga and Oka rivers. Unfortunately, much of his photographic archive was lost in the aftermath of the 1917 Revolution. Prokudin-Gorsky created unique black-and-white negatives using a triple-frame method, taking three separate exposures through blue, green, and red filters. This technique allowed the images to be printed or projected in color, often for magic lantern slide presentations. The complete collection of 1,902 triple-frame glass...

Photograph of a Kazakh Female Harvester Preserved in a U.S. Library

In the 1940s, British researchers William and Zelda Coates traveled to Kazakhstan and later published a book titled Soviets in Central Asia. The book included a previously unpublished photograph of a Kazakh female combine operator. The English caption identified her as "A typical Kazakh collective farm woman – Kudyash Avnimasova, of the 'Red Kombine' farm." The book also offers detailed insights into Kazakhstan’s agriculture and industry during the Soviet era. The authors highlight the significant progress made in food production over the previous decade, noting the establishment of numerous factories in southern Kazakhstan. They report that the country had five sugar factories, four distilleries, ten canneries, and three starch factories. Additionally, they emphasize the impact of large-scale industrialization, pointing out that Kazakhstan’s industrial workforce grew dramatically from just 20,000 in 1920 to nearly one million by early 1945. The Coates focus not only on economic and industrial developments but also on the aspirations, perspectives, and reform-driven mindset of smaller nations. The inclusion of the Kazakh female combine operator’s photograph is intentional; it complements the broader discussion on production and labor in the region. The authors present data showing that in 1938, Kazakhstan had 191 state farms, 363 machine and tractor stations, 25,646 tractors, and 9,522 combines. By 1947, those numbers had grown to 254 state farms and 670 collective farms, with 12,000 combines and tens of thousands of tractors operating in the fields. There is a common saying: 'History is a mirror.' Indeed, recorded history does not fade; rather, its significance deepens over time. The image of this female combine operator, preserved in the British scholars’ book housed in the Gelman Library at George Washington University, serves as a powerful representation of the resilience, determination, and vitality of Kazakh women in the 20th century.