Historical gallery

From my collection: Photographic records of Samara bourgeoisie, the "old" Soviet (and post-communist) middle class, in my book encompassing largely nobles, clergy, merchants, meshchane, and state peasants engaged in trade, entrepreneurship, or professions. Photos span the period from mid-XIX century to the 1920s.

The Kobozeva collection

(source: Zoya Kobozeva Family Photographic Archive)

  • Kashina Yekaterina Ignat’yevna

Wife of the manager of the Samara office of the Brothers Krestovnikov Trading House Kashin Mikhail Nikanorovich, peasant woman from the village of Bol’shaya Glushitsa of Samara guberniya.

  • Children, meshchane family.

  • Samara meshchane, 1920s.

The Neklutin collection

(source: Cammie G. Henry Research Center at Northwestern State University of Louisiana Neklutin collection)

  • Maria N. Neklutin, b. 1884, younger sister of Constantine Neklutin.

  • Costume ball, Samara's wealthiest merchants, many of whom were intermarried and attended the same elite gymnasia.

  • Members of extended family of the future wife of the merchant Constantine Neklutin Polia Egoroff, meshchane.

  • Picnics on the estate of the Neklutin-Shikhobalov family of wealthy merchants. Constantine (front row, right), emigrated to America.

  • Photos of Polia Egoroff, of meshchane estate, the future wife of the merchant Constantine Neklutin, and her gymnasium friends.

  • Old photos from the family of the meshchanka Polia Egoroff, whom the merchant Constantine Neklutin married.

  • Neklutins and other merchant in-laws enjoying leisure at their country dacha.

  • Neklutins and other merchant-meshchane in-laws enjoying leisure at their country dacha and treating children to a boat tour on the Volga.

  • Neklutins and other merchant in-laws enjoying a horse ride and picnics at their country dacha.

The Golubkov collection

(source: Sergey Golubkov Family Archive)

  • Mariya Ivanovna Volodkovich, a Polish noble, and nephew Aleksey Alekseyevich Golubkov (n.d.).

  • Ol’ga Nikolayevna Konovalova

Gymnasium Pupil, Samara, 1909.

The Popov collection

(source: Daniil Popov Family Archive)

  • Valerian Dmitriyevich Tithovidov and Mrs Tikhovidov.

  • Valerian Dmitriyevich Tithovidov and Mrs Tikhovidov. Estate uncertain; education and family occupations of parents suggests possibly clergy, personal nobles, or meshchane.

  • Valerian Dmitriyevich Tikhovidov in old age, Soviet Samara: from Imperial professional to Soviet veterinary scholar and practitioner.

Image credit: Constantine Neklutin collection, Cammie G. Henry Research Center at Northwestern State University of Louisiana.