Russia in Photographs
A huge archive of Russian photos from 1840 to 1999, drawn from museums and family albums. Scroll through decades, search the map, browse themed shows.
What it is
History of Russia in Photographs is a collection of images spanning a century and a half, from 1840 to 1999. The pictures come from museum archives and private collections, and anyone can contribute photos from their own family albums. The project was built with support from Yandex and Russia's Ministry of Culture.
The main way in is a timeline slider: pick a decade and see what everyday life looked like. There is also advanced search, a map with photos pinned to places, and an exhibitions section where images are gathered around a single theme.
Why we picked it
Big archives are often dull to browse without a specific question in mind. This one is different. Pick the 1970s and just scroll: courtyards, queues, holidays, factories, beaches. Or find a city on the map and see a street as it was a hundred years ago. Ordinary photos like these say more about a period than most textbooks.
The themed exhibitions help too. Short video stories and photo sets cover writers and poets, Moscow and St. Petersburg, circus, theater and film, and the history of photography itself. They are a good entry point if you don't know where to begin.
Where to start
- Note that the site is in Russian; the slider, map and photos work fine without it.
- Move the slider to a decade you are curious about and browse.
- Open the map and zoom into a city you know.
- Try the History of Photography exhibition to see how the craft changed.
Who it's for
Lovers of old photographs, photographers interested in their predecessors, history teachers, travelers heading to Russia, and anyone researching family roots in the region.
Quick answers
What period does it cover? From 1840 to 1999.
Where do the photos come from? Museum archives and private collections, plus user contributions.
Can I search by location? Yes, there is a map view.
