Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 bestselling book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, explores slavery in the Antebellum South, and it has been widely recognised as having had an important impact on changing attitudes towards African Americans and the institution of slavery in the USA. It … Read more

Despite strict censorship, Russian literature flourished during the reign of Nicholas I (1825-1855). This era witnessed the creation of some of the most well-known Russian literary works. In Russia, this period (the first half of the nineteenth century) is known … Read more

Barge Haulers on the Volga Around the middle and late decades of the 19th century, autobiographical accounts written by serfs were becoming an object of increasing interest in Russian intellectual life, and were accordingly printed in political journals or as … Read more

Pictured above is Marquis de Custine. Marquis de Custine was a French aristocrat and writer who lived during the 19th century. His famous works cover his travels, which include a trip to the Russian Empire. In his travel writing, Marquis … Read more

        The readings for this week brought me three distinct (but maybe vaguely connected) thoughts that I wanted to post about. Hence, the various, perhaps odd, pictures above of Dostoevsky, the Tver Historical Museum established in 1866, … Read more

One of the most notable anecdotes featured in Custine’s accounts of his travels in Russia, is the wedding of Princess Olga, known as the Grand Duchess Marie, to the French Prince Maximilian Joseph de Beauharnais. Although Maxmilian was the grandson … Read more

  Russophobia and Democracy While reading the Marquis de Custine’s account of his travels in Russia I was struck most by two things. First, I found it interesting that the tsar himself complained about western perceptions of Russia. On page … Read more

A couple in love, hand in hand, sailing on a boat across the gulf of Finland with their eyes on Kronstadt, a fortress city not far from the imperial center St. Petersburg. This painting by the famous German Romantic artist … Read more

Why are we studying the nineteenth century? There’s no way any of that’s relevant today! Well, here you go! A “documentary” style TV episode about the Decembrists that was produced by and aired on Channel 1, perhaps the most watched … Read more

What Census Calls Us: A Historical Timeline I found this site really interesting in the context of race and ethnicity because the creation of different ethnic groups and how race is a constantly evolving definition. The concept of ethnicity and … Read more