Born in the town of Murom, Russia, Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii was educated as a chemist and dedicated his life to the advancement of photography. He spent many years documenting the Russian Empire, and he was even outfitted with a railroad car-darkroom provided by Tsar Nicholas II. Along with this equipment, the Tsar also gave him access to certain restricted areas. After...

This online exhibit from the Library of Congress (LOC) features a selection of photos by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944). In 1909-1912, and again in 1915, Prokudin-Gorskii undertook a photographic survey of eleven regions of the Russian Empire, traveling in a specially equipped railroad car provided by the Ministry of Transportation. Prokudin-Gorskii left Russia in 1918, and in...