Kelly, I really enjoyed your metaphor when comparing Russian lifestyle to that of a tree. Especially for the peasantry at this time, hardships were evidently present but despite the fact many were forced to plant their roots deeper and brace the coming storms that would enclose around them.
Your photo, in my opinion, also shows the individual (in this case an elderly man) is able to escape and find peace with himself. He seems very content in the photograph and maybe Gorskii was trying to convey a sense of relaxation or reflection.
Month: January 2018
Comment on Snapshot of The Empire: Life of the Peasantry in Russia by rachelharriman10
Erdely, your post has a direct correlation to my photo. My chosen photo was of peasants who were in the process of “haying” the fields, or as we now refer to it, bailing hay. While examining my photo, I had the question of what would happen to this hay after it was harvested? Although it is not entirely clear, it hints to the idea that the hay was compacted in bails (for easier transportation) and then distributed or transported by rail line.
You also ask many question about the haying process, which I believe I could be of assistance. According to a book written about the agrarian lifestyle of individuals in Wyoming, during the early 20th century, it took about 45 days to complete the haying process. I use this comparison only because, both these families and the Russian farmers used only domestic tools, no industrial equipment. I would also have to add that the time would also depend on the size of the fields. To answer your question about the women, yes they did assist in the haying process as well as their children.
Garceau, Dee. “The Important Things in Life: Women, Work, and Family in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, 1880-1929”. Canadian Journal of History. Accessed January 22, 2018. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjh.33.2.324.
Comment on The Russian Cowboy and the Murmansk Railroad by dianaschulberg
I enjoy the composition of this shot a lot as well as the story behind it. It says a lot about how well the pictures is put together that it came out of a dark room from a train car. It is always interesting to learn how all the moving part worked up into the revolution rather than it being seen as one cause it as many things. You do a great job of summing up the railroad issue using this picture and how it can work in tandem with current public anger over the wartime push as well as the food shortages.
Comment on The Russian Cowboy and the Murmansk Railroad by A.Anthony
From what I understand, the Russian Revolution was kind of a perfect storm of grievances people had against the government, but I think his theory that the failure of the railroads to adapt to wartime needs seems like a plausible cause of food shortages and thus public anger. I do think it’s interesting that he introduces the contradictory theory at the end, but other sources I have read do lend credence to the idea of railway exhaustion, or at the very least, major problems with the project.
Comment on The Russian Cowboy and the Murmansk Railroad by A. Nelson
That’s great that Nhi is writing about the Murmask Railroad and found your post! I’m intrigued by the essay on the railways during the revolution you cite by Anthony Haywood. First of all — what a good find! Second — what do you think about Haywood’s argument — or rather the questions he asks about the role of the transportation system (and railroads in particular) in the revolutions of 1917?
Comment on Community Within a Divided Country by nhinguyen14
I really like this photo because it shows the non-industrialized side of Russia. I like the history of the serfdom freedom in Russia and that’s what is depicted in the photograph. It is interesting to see familial generations participating in haying and everyone is doing their specialized jobs.
Comment on Church of the Resurrection by nhinguyen14
This is cool!! I like the photo because it is typical Russia, especially when you think of Moscow, you think of Hershey kiss shaped domes. I like how you went into detail not only about the physical appearance but also on the history of it. Any idea on why the church closed?
Comment on The Russian Cowboy and the Murmansk Railroad by nhinguyen14
I also did a photograph of the Murmansk Railroad, so I thought it was cool seeing this other photo of it! It took them 3 years to build the railroad and it was neat that Prokudin-Gorskii was a part of it. There was a labor shortage as well in which they had to use German and Austrian prisoners to build. This was a cool photo and I liked how you added why a railroad connecting the capitol to a port is beneficial.
The Generation Gap: The Visualization of Western Influence
Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii. Three Generations, 1910. Digital color rendering. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsc-03952 (24) This photograph at first appears simple. After all, it merely depicts three generations of a Russian family. “A. P. Kalganov poses with his son and granddaughter for a portrait in the industrial town of Zlatoust in the Ural Mountain …
Continue reading The Generation Gap: The Visualization of Western Influence
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