The Romanovs: Their Empire, Their
Books.
The Political, Religious, Cultural, and Social Life of Russia's Imperial House
Case
5: Exploration
Turkish woman, from
an original
album of watercolors of Ottoman
costume, ca. 1830 (compiled as
an album in 1867). From the library
of Emperor Alexander III.
NYPL, Arents Collection.
Photographic Services & Permissions
Up to the fall of the Romanovs in 1917, the Russians
were the largest population group in the empire.
Their representation and ways were therefore of
prime interest to members of the dynasty. Among
the more than one hundred other peoples or ethnic
groups in the empire, only a few seemed significant
enough – by virtue of their location, numbers,
or quaintness – to deserve attention, so imperial
libraries contain only a limited and very selective
literature dealing with them. Travel books enabled
their owners to extend their knowledge and to document
their own visits to some regions of the realm.
Next Section: Case
6: Work and Leisure
