Original Czarist-Era Russian Photograph of a Trotting Horse and Racetrack Spectators
N.p. [Moscow?]: No stated publisher, n.d. [ca. 1910?]. No stated edition. Matted photograph. Gelatin silver print (ca. 9 x 7 inches) within contemporary embossed mat (ca. 13 x 11 inches). The photographer's name and "Moscow" are printed on the mat. A few long shallow scratches to the photo, but overall very good (not examined under the mat). Date of 1910 penciled on back of mat. Very good. Item #30854
The photograph shows a trotting horse surrounded by spectators in front of an elaborate racetrack grandstand (probably the Moscow Hippodrome). It is held by a turbaned handler. The occasion is unclear--an inspection of some sort? a retirement ceremony? Probably not a post-race winning photo, since the horse isn't in harness. The people on the track are all men and boys. Many women are in and around the colonnaded stands, and some military officers are in the viewing box, which is decorated with a cloth swag. Harness racing was hugely popular in Czarist Russia, as it still is in Russia today. Ratushkin was a Moscow studio portrait photographer, but little else is known about him. Shipping/handling will be extra; please keep this in mind when ordering.
Price: $150.00