Drawings of representatives of the royal family in the palace on Elagin Island

ST. PETERSBURG. In the palace-museum on Elagin Island, known as the Stable Building, on August 1, the first visitors came to the opening of the exhibition “August Draftsmen” dedicated to the anniversary of the Romanov dynasty.

The exhibition exposition opens up a not too well-known part of the life of the imperial family. At all times, teaching children to draw was an important element in educating cultured people. In the imperial family, many of its representatives had artistic abilities. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to see and appreciate their preserved work.

The exhibition features about two hundred drawings, each of which has a different level of professionalism. Most of them represent children’s and youthful works provided from the State Archive of the Russian Federation. From these drawings, one can trace how the skill of young artists of the imperial family grew.

Simple children’s drawings are replaced by works from classrooms, travel sketches, followed by illustrations for literary works and copies of drawings by famous artists, followed by independent creative work. The drawings are valuable not only by their authors belonging to the imperial family, but also by scenes of Russian life, seen through the eyes of eyewitnesses.

The authors of the drawings included in the exhibition are fifty representatives of the royal family. They were drawn during the years 1787 - 1917. Of great value are postcards, the authors of which are Princess Olga Alexandrovna and Elizaveta Fedorovna. They were made at the beginning of the 20th century, during the First World War. They were sold, and then the money was sent to charities.

The exhibition is complemented by objects of applied art from the museum’s collection. You can get acquainted with the exposition until October 7th.

Ludmila Trautmane © Gallerix.ru