The very first photographs in the world: 15 unique photographs of the 19th century from the British gallery Tate

Celebrities of the 19th century in portraits painted by Vasily Perov for the Tretyakov Gallery

Many people from school are familiar with the impressive genre paintings of the famous Russian painter Vasily Perov. However, we know very little about Perov - as a brilliant portrait painter who created a unique gallery of psychological portraits of famous contemporaries, to which he devoted the last decade of his life

The very first skyscraper and the first experience of the Stalinist Empire style in Vladivostok: What is the famous "Gray Horse"

This luxurious house, built in the Stalinist Empire style so unusual for Vladivostok, is at the same time unique, mysterious, monumental, and simply delightful. Unfortunately, not all of us have the opportunity to visit distant Vladivostok, so the house bearing the strange name "The Gray Horse" is not as widely known as, for example, the architectural masterpieces of Moscow or St. Petersburg. But if you are in the Primorsky Territory, be sure to look at it - it's worth it

The collector has collected a unique archive of photographs about life in the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th - early 20th centuries

In 1964, the Frenchman Pierre de Jigorde first came to Istanbul, and was fascinated by this city. He was engaged in trade, and also bought old photographs from local residents and collectors. As a result, he became the owner of a unique archive, the photographs of which date from 1853 to 1930. In total, there are 6,000 photographs in his collection, the names of the authors of which are forever lost. Recently, a significant part of this archive was made publicly available on the Internet

The first beauties of Europe in 1929: portraits of the participants of the very first Miss Europe contest

The first Miss Europe competition as we know it today was held in 1929 in Paris. Before that, girls sent their photographs to the newspaper Pari-Midi, where portraits of beauties were regularly published. The publishing house even arranged an open display of outfits and hairstyles, but at that time only girls of European appearance could participate. In our review - the beauties of European countries, who were sent to Paris for the very first competition in 1929

Pre-revolutionary Russia: unique retro photographs of the Cossacks, taken in the late 19th - early 20th centuries (part 2)

They were admired, feared, or proud of, and they pinned their hopes on them in a dashing time for the Fatherland. The Cossacks were the hope and support of the empire, and they fulfilled their duty unquestioningly. This review contains unique photographs that capture the Cossacks during the days of service and at home