Russian History Museum

06/02/2026

Could you imagine oysters at the Russian imperial table?

A shell-shaped porcelain dish from Alexander III’s coronation service led us into the story of oyster culture in the Russian Empire - from imported luxuries to Crimean oyster farms.

Read the full article on our website: https://www.russianhistorymuseum.org/2026/01/16/oysters-in-the-russian-empire/

05/27/2026

Today beautiful Saint Petersburg, the former capital of the Russian Empire, celebrates its 323rd “birthday” 🎊

Enjoy the images from the album in our collection depicting Petersburg’s landmarks in the early 19th century.

And read the full article with five stories about Petersburg’s iconic spots. Some of them remain largely unchanged since the 19th century, while others have undergone significant metamorphoses or have even been demolished!

https://www.russianhistorymuseum.org/2024/01/08/historic-landmarks-saint-petersburg/ #

05/20/2026

How did Emperor Alexander I and his diplomats rethink European security in a time of major political change? Our new lecture by Dr. Elise Wirtschafter explores Russian diplomacy after the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

Watch now and share with friends!

How did Emperor Alexander I and his diplomats rethink European security in a time of major political change? The lecture explores Russian diplomacy after the...

05/13/2026

📢 We’re Hiring: Public Engagement & Education Manager

Looking for a museum job? Passionate about education?

The Russian History Museum is hiring a full-time Public Engagement & Education Manager.

This museum job is a great opportunity for candidates interested in education, public history, and community engagement centered on Russian history and culture.

Are you - or someone you know - a great fit?

Read the full job description and apply here: https://www.russianhistorymuseum.org/careers/public-engagement-education-manager/

05/13/2026

📣 We’re Hiring: Curator of Collections

Looking for a museum job?

The Russian History Museum is seeking a full-time Curator of Collections. This career opportunity is ideal for candidates with backgrounds in Russian history, museum collections, archival research, curatorial work, and Slavic studies.

Join a growing institution dedicated to exhibitions, collections stewardship, and the preservation of Russian and émigré history.

Are you - or someone you know - a great fit?

Read the full job description and apply here: https://www.russianhistorymuseum.org/careers/curator-of-collections/https://www.russianhistorymuseum.org/careers/curator-of-collections/

05/06/2026

Join us this Saturday, May 9, for a talk exploring Russian diplomacy in the aftermath of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. We will learn how Emperor Alexander I and his diplomatic agents understood European security.

Register below!

When Russia Led Europe: Security and Diplomacy after Napoleon An online lecture with Dr. Elise Wirtschafter This lecture is based on Elise Wirtschafter’s recent book devoted to the conceptual history of Russian diplomacy in the aftermath of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The book de...

04/17/2026

Join us tomorrow, April 18, for the free online lecture discussing how Mikhail Lomonosov, the 18th-century polymath and poet, turned into a cultural hero.

Discover why Lomonosov personifies the transition from old Russia to the new Petrine era, and how he transformed Russia's approach to science.

Mikhail Lomonosov: The Misremembered Hero An online lecture with Dr. Susan Smith-Peter The lecture will discuss how Mikhail Lomonosov, the 18th century polymath and poet, turned into a culture hero. A culture hero personifies the transition from one era to another, in this case from old Russia to ne...

03/19/2026

What did children play with in 19th-century Russia?

In her lecture this Saturday, Liliya Dashevski will examine the rich world of children’s toys and games from both peasant and elite households.

Register now!

Sat., March 21 @ 1 PM EDT | Free on Zoom

Welcome to the Russian Nursery: Toys and Games in Nineteenth-Century Russia An online lecture with Liliya Dashevski What did children play with in nineteenth-century Russia? Many of us might immediately think of the matreshka—the iconic Russian nesting doll. But surprisingly, matreshkas were not a...

03/17/2026

Rare Book of the Week: A Copy from Peter the Great's Reign 👑

This week, our intern John Kurr found another rare book with a story: a Pentecostarion printed in 1714 in Moscow during the reign of Peter the Great. This key service book was used in the period after Pascha in the Orthodox liturgical tradition.

Drops of wax from church candles and visible wear on the pages show how regularly people handled and used this book in services. By 1817, the book was at the Tver Bishop’s Metochion, where bishops from the Russian city of Tver stayed while in Moscow. A bishop from Tver may have brought the book with him, as another inscription indicates that it belonged to the Tver cathedral, where it continued to serve liturgical purposes 📖

The newest inscription comes from a certain Misha, who gave the book as a keepsake to a dear friend. The date appears to be 1914, though other numbers and letters could suggest different interpretations.

The real question is: How did this book end up in Jordanville? For now, that remains a mystery.

03/12/2026

Our most recent lecture on wooden architecture by William Brumfield is now live 🔥

Watch here: https://youtu.be/PWRa6pg1E5w?si=77bWQAfDG3zKbtQt

The lecture reminded us of a beautiful church design from our collection. Created in ink, watercolor, and graphite, this project was intended for a church in the Kiev Province of the Russian Empire. It was a replacement for an older building that had burned down in the village of Belki.

The architect, V. N. Nikolaev, was a member of the Imperial Academy of Arts and a prolific architect working in Kiev. For more than a decade, he served both as the city architect of Kiev and as the diocesan architect.