Presidential Library launches an exhibition marking 150th anniversary of serfdom abolition

On March 3 2011 within the framework of events timed to 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Manifesto on serfdom abolition in Russia, the Presidential Library launched an exhibition called “Authority and society on the way to peasant reform”.

The exhibition casts the light on the history of serfdom in Russia as a particular system of social relations, which had an influence on different sides of life of the Russian state between 15th – 19th cc.

The exposition’s centerpiece is formed by legal documents, which reflect the history of peasants’ enslavement and steps taken by the state and the society towards the reform. Plasma panels and showcases put on display copies of documents spanning the time between 15th – 19th cc., which can be found at the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts. They feature electronic copies of codes of laws of 1497 and 1550 and the Emancipation Manifesto of 1861.

The atmosphere of the 2nd half of 19th c. will be revived by over a hundred rare books from holdings of the National Library of Russia, the Fundamental Library of the A.I. Herzen Russian State Pedagogical University, the Scientific Library of the St. Petersburg State University. They include editions, dedicated to study of the peasant issue, collected tales, poems, songs about serfdom and life of peasants. The exhibition will also unveil unpublished caricatures from “Iskra” (“Spark”) and “Gudok” (“Whistle”) magazines of 1861–1862, issues of the “Sovremennik” (“Contemporary”) magazine, materials from “Kolokol” (“Bell”) newspaper which came out abroad.

Visitors of the exhibition can familiarize themselves with private documents, including a passport which belonged to a peasant Grigory Pakhomov; deeds of sale and manumission, permissions for a wedding from landowners; advertisements on sale of house-serfs, placed in the “Moskovskiye vedomosti” (“Moscow Bulletin”) newspaper of August 31 1790.

Showcases also display rare coins from the Mint holdings, which were issued to celebrate reform’s previous anniversaries. The Russian Geographical Society has provided its photographs, private belongings, letters, a peasant petition from the collection of P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, who participated in preparation of the draft of the serfdom abolition reform.

The exhibition is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays for library-card holders of the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library, and on weekdays for organized groups.