RUSSIAN HISTORY IN PICTURES FOR THE PEOPLE AND CHILDREN: SEARCH FOR A NEW STORY ABOUT THE PAST (1860S–1880S)

Abstract

The article deals with the first multi-circulation illustrated historical editions, which were intended for the people and children. These editions were albums of several dozen pictures with concise textual explanations. Most of the editions under consideration could be used in different formats: both as a single row of pictures and in a disassembled into separate illustrations. The authors and publishers expected their projects to be popular among the general public and also envisaged the possibility of using them as visual aids for history at school. The Ministry of Public Education supported the publication and distribution of illustrated historical editions, which significantly expanded the number of consumers of historical literature. The censors of the Ministry of Public Education directly participated in the selection of historical subjects. The article considers the peculiarities of the relationship between publishers and censors. Illustrated historical editions, which were published in the era of the Great Reforms, influenced the formation of the visual canon of Russian history. Many stories became canonical, and historical illustration became a mandatory component of textbooks and popular publications.

Keywords: Russian Empire, history for children, national Canon, historical politics, historical memory