Second All-Slavic Congress

Item Details

St. Petersburg, Photographic Department of the Imperial Public Library, Barth, 1867

Poor

Title: "Slavic Guests to Russian Brothers". Photographic collage with printed and hand-colored elements on paper.

Dimensions: [Insert dimensions if available], 1867, St. Petersburg,  Russian Empire.

A rare and historically significant commemorative photographic collage dedicated to the Second All-Slavic Congress, held in St. Petersburg and Moscow in 1867. This elaborate composition features a large central photograph surrounded by dozens of individual portrait photographs—each carefully glued by hand onto an intricate  hand colored design of green leaves, symbolizing unity and growth among the Slavic nations.

At the top, the year “1867” is prominently printed, and at the center appears the title “Славянскiе гости” (Slavic Guests). Beneath the central group portrait, printed text reads “Русскiм Братьямъ”. The lower margin credits the Photographic Department of the Imperial Public Library, Barth.

Each portrait represents a delegate or notable participant of the congress, forming a visual record of one of the key gatherings in 19th-century Pan-Slavic history. The composition is both a documentary and artistic artifact, capturing the ideal of Slavic fraternity promoted in Imperial Russia during the period.

Condition:

Age-related wear consistent with the work’s period; visible creasing, losses, tears, and discoloration along the edges; all individual photographs securely affixed.