George Kennan’s photographs of the Russian Empire illustrate the wide variety of subjects covered by the Russian Empire, thanks to the failed expedition to the vast Siberian wilderness. Originally from Ohio, he was very interested in traveling from an early age. The railroad company’s telegraph office required him to start working there when he was twelve because family finances dictated it.
The Russian American Telegraph Company, which he joined in 1864, assigned him to survey the route of an overland telegraph through Siberia and across the Bering Strait. He spent two years in the wilds of Kamchatka before returning to Ohio via St. Petersburg and soon became well-known for his books, articles, and lectures detailing his travels. He wrote ethnographies and histories of Native Siberian people that are still relevant today. This includes tales about the Koraks (Koryak language), the Ilemens (Kamchats), the Chookchees, the Yukaghirs, the Chooances, the Yakoots, and the Gakouts.
Kennan returned to St. Petersburg and traveled to Dagestan in 1870, a Caucasus region taken over by Russia only ten years earlier. He encountered herders, silversmiths, carpet-weavers, and other craftsmen in its remote Muslim highlands during his voyage. After traveling through the northern Caucasus, stopping in Samashki and Grozny, he returned to the United States in 1871. He wrote several books and articles about Russian subjects during his lifetime. Before television and radio, Kennan was in constant demand as a speaker. In these talks, he spoke primarily about the adventures he had in Siberia, the people of Russia, and, eventually, the evils of the Tsarist exile system.
He was respected in the United States, but he also achieved respect in Russia because of his knowledge of the language and his ability to analyze issues in a scholarly manner. The writings of Kennan also turned the Russian government against him. In 1901, Kennan tried to return to Russia again but got arrested and expelled for “political untrustworthiness.”
Below are some fascinating historical photos of the diverse people of Russian from 1870 to 1890 by Empire by George Kennan.
