History of Moscow: Exhibition of the XIX century coloured lithographic pictures with Moscow views launched

The State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia (Moscow) launched the exhibition "Moscow Views. Coloured Lithographic Pictures of the XIX Century".

It is a joint project of the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia and the "Gogol's House" (Moscow), devoted to the history of the capital.

The exhibition presents lithographic pictures issued by the G. Datsiaro Publishing House in the 1840s - 1860s. Giuseppe Datsiaro (1806-1865) came to Russia from Italy and opened two shops of lithographic prints in Moscow on Lubyanka and Kuznetsky Most. In 1849, Datsiaro launched a shop in Saint-Petersburg; later he opened another one in Paris on Italian Boulevard.

In the beginning, Datsiaro printed lithographic pictures at Karl Paul's workshop in Saint-Petersburg. From the mid-1840s, his chief partner became the Lemercier Parisian Printing House. He engaged a wide range of painters and lithographers of that time. Among them were Ferdinand Victor Perrault, Louis Pierre Alphonse Bishebois, Philippe Benoit, Arnoux's father and son, and others.

The issue of lithographed albums with views of Moscow and Saint-Petersburg by Datsiaro was one of the largest and most ambitious publishing projects of that time. His lithographic pictures were available not only in Datsiaro's stores in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and Paris but also in Leipzig, Amsterdam, London, and other European cities. His products were popular due to the high quality of drawings and printing. There was also an interest in national history in Russia and everything Russian in Europe after the victory over Napoleon.

Besides Datsiaro's lithographic pictures from the Moscow series, the exposition features engravings by other publishers with images of the city in the second and third quarters of the XIX century.

The exhibition will run until August 18, 2021.