Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii was a colour photographer who, in 1912, undertook a photographic survey of the Russian Empire for Tsar Nicholas II. Travelling in a specially adapted train, Produkin's project makes me think of the Agi-Trains that would soon follow. Russia was on the cusp of revolution and the people Produkin's camera captured along the way show the vast mix of cultures, religions and peasant lifestyles which would all be dramatically altered within the decade. Colour brings this world to life in an unexpectedly intimate way and the vibrancy of the costumes is startling.
Walter Frankhauser, a photographer contracted by the Library of Congress, manually registered and cleaned up around 120 of the original high-resolution scans, with beautiful results. There was a book published, now out of print, I don't own it but I have managed to drag the above image offline to show.
These people hold the same fascination for me as those in the collection taken for Albert Kahn which began in 1909, which I will feature soon.
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