# WWI and Russian Revolution photos found



## FeXL (Jan 2, 2004)

WWI and Russian Revolution photos found 



> In 2005 I was asked to come by a Northern California home to help translate and identify some mystery images. I love old photos, so I was eager to help. All I knew when I was on my way up there was that they were from Russia and really old.
> 
> When I arrived at the house in Northern California I saw in front of me a number of very old wooden storage boxes and one more much larger black carrying case. The owner told me that inside were pictures taken by her grandfather. She opened one of the boxes and pulled out a glass slide about 3x4in. I must admit I did not know the term 'Magic Lantern Slide' back then and did not immediately realize what I'm looking at. But there were hundreds of images from snow-covered villages, train tracks, bullet-riddled buildings, soldiers in trenches, soldiers by houses, soldiers on trains.... Lots of soldiers. There were also lots of pictures from China and Japan mixed in among them. The slides were also exquisitely colored by hand and the colors have been preserved wonderfully. I finally tore myself away from the images to ask what I was looking at.


Unfortunately, there are only 9 images posted at the link, but they are very interesting nonetheless.


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## jellotor (Feb 22, 2008)

These remind me of the colour Sergei Prokhudin-Gorsky images, although S P-G's are older. Prokhudin-Gorsky's images were always interesting to me because they are mostly pre-revolution and literally show a world that does not exist anymore.

Plus, his photo of Tolstoy seated in the forest is one of the best portraits ever.

Also interesting to me between the two collections is how the subjects are what would have been considered at the time to be common, mundane scenes and now are something much more due to changing contexts. Chances are very good that not only are all of the people photographed long gone but also the locations changed significantly...I will be interested to see if the author manages to make it in 2017 and the images he finds.

All of which makes me try to picture the photography I do in a context far removed from the present day and wonder who a future me will think of the frames I snap.


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