Лекция: Exhibit of Old Maps More Than Geography

The maps in the exhibit, titled “Russia and the Rest of the World”, date from the 16 th to the beginning of the 20 th century and give insight into the politics and attitudes of their time.

Russia had maps before Peter the Great, but they were more impressionistic than scientific. They showed approximately where different athnic groups were located, as opposed to showing rivers, roads and other geographical features. But Europeans who traded Russia needed accurate maps and most of maps in the exhibit were created by foreigners. A map drawn by Dutchmen Gessel Gerrits in 1614 is an excellent illustration of the Western attitudes toward Russia. One corner is dominated by a map of Moscow and Central Russia is drawn in a fair amount of detail. On the right-hand side, the map drops off abruptly, and Gerris simply wrote the word “Tartar” to depict all of modern day Siberia. This map and the others from the same atlas were used as the basis for most 17 th – century maps of Russia.

The two most noticeable maps located at the gallery are not actually part of the exhibit but are on permanent display. One depicts Europe in 1914 but has none of the usual borders and geographical features. Instead, a caricature of the tsar represents Russia, while different animals represent other European countries. The other map shows Russia as a large black bear.