Russian museum of photography created September 21, 1992 at the initiative of the public. It became State in 2000. This is one of the youngest museums in Nizhny Novgorod.
Museum of Photography is located in a building built in the XIX century, and is protected by law as a historical and cultural monument. It is in this building that worked famous photographer: Andrei Osipovich Karelin (1837 – 1906) – the founder of Creative Photography, Maxim Dmitriev (1858 – 1948) – founder of journalistic photography. On the 2nd floor of this building was their fotopavilon , specifically designed and built for this. To make it more light, one of the walls of the pavilion overlooking the street was completely of glass. At the end of the XIX century on the 3rd floor lived the family lived of M. Dmitriev, on the 1st – it was located his phototype.
The house № 9 on the street. Osipnaya (now str. Piskunov) at the end of the XIX century was visited by many famous people of different professions and classes. About this was preserved memories of the famous artist F. Bogorodsky:
“He (fotopavilon) occupied the entire second floor of the stone white house. All the walls of entrance and of the iron stairs were covered with photographs depicting the life and daily of Nizhny Novgorod. Almost opposite this house was a special wooden showcase with a huge mirror glass. This showcase was very popular, it was always the crowds around it. Here you can see photos of Gorky with F. Chaliapin, V. Korolenko, Melnikov – Pechersky, and other figures of culture and art.”
Precisely in this building is situated now Russian museum of photography. In the museum there are already more than 190 thousand units. There are daguerreotypes, negatives stereonegativy, positives, stereopozitivy, postcards, cameras, enlargers, photo albums, medals, letters, personal belongings of famous photographers, starting with the 70 – ies of the XIX century to the present day.
On the first floor – is a historical exposition. Here are not only great photos of A. Karelin and M. Dmitriev, but their contemporaries: Hripkov M., M. Gagaev, Ivanov, D. Leybovskiy et al. The guide will introduce you to the appearance of Nizhny Novgorod abroad XIX – XX centuries, its streets, squares, churches, cathedrals and monasteries, many of which have not survived to the present time, the history of the Nizhny Novgorod Fair and XVI All – Russian exhibition of Art and Industry, 1896. He’ll tell you about this wonderful phenomenon – picture.
