Artists, Writers, and Diplomats’ Wives

Men made their way to Russia as explorers, diplomats, and tourists long before women traveled and lived in this frozen land. Sixteen courageous and intrepid European and North American women featured here lived and traveled in Russia from the end of the eighteenth century to the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, these are their letters.

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In Russia Through Women’s Eyes: Women Travelers in The Russian Empire, 1786-1920, the experiences and impressions of sixteen European and North American women who both lived and traveled in Russia during times of peace and war come alive. All these women had their own reasons for going to Russia. Some went with their husband who settled there, others went to paint the aristocracy, to help the lepers or report on the Russian Revolution of 1917. Their experiences and observations of Russian political, social, and cultural life led them to write letters and books and keep journals and diaries about what they saw and how they responded to it---both positively and negatively.