1300
departments as chemistry, electricity, air-drifting, etc.,
which facilitated the inclusion of the use of other scien-
tifi c fi ndings in photography. The RETS established a
fi fth department in 1878, it was called the Photography
Department. This initiative was headed by outstand-
ing scientists like D. Mendeleev, photographers like
L. Levitsky, I. Boldyrev, V. Carrick, and even artists
like landscape-painter I. Shishkin and other prominent
fi gures in Russian culture.
RETS’ goals included the development of the tech-
nical, scientifi c and artistic aspects of photography, the
establishment of theoretical and practical lecture courses
the organization of nationwide photo exhibitions, and
the establishment of a museum for photographic pic-
tures. RETS had over thirty affi liates in various cities,
including Moscow, Nizhni Novgorod, Odessa, Vyatka,
Kiev, and others.
The leaders of the photography department in RETS,
S. Proskudin-Gorski being one of them, believed that
photography was documental by nature. In fact, he pub-
lished articles on pictorial photography in Fotograf Lyu-
bitel (Amateur Photographer) of which he was the chief
editor. He stated that photography functioned as a way
to fi x surroundings in natural colors. After the revolution
of 1917 the organization changed its name to Russian
Technical Society (RTS). RTS organized a couple of
photographic events and it fell apart in 1929.
In 1872 another special department for photography
within a technical society was established in Moscow.
The Society for Technical Ideas Dissemination (STID)
developed out of need, a photographic society. The
department’s activities became obvious in 1883 due a
general increase of interest in photography. The photo
department of STID fostered the development and dis-
semination of artistic and technical ideas related to
photography. The department was formed by such out-
standing fi gures in Russian photography as E. Mattern,
D. Yezuchyevski, and V. Vulfert. As the members of the
society grew in number and the scale of activities became
larger, it became clear that an independent photographic
society was needed. So, in 1894 Russian Photographic
Society (RPS) was established. It played a great role in
the development of photography in Russia. As of the 1st
October 1901 the number of its members amounted to
1,113. In 1899 a famous Moscow Photographer K.Fisher
was elected the chairman of the society. The society set
up a charity fund for those photographers who could no
longer work due to an illness or a tragic accident. The
meetings of the society were held in the Polytechnical
Museum. At these meetings the members of the society
used to discuss not only organizational matters and the
latest photography related news but also scientifi c issues
that were of general interest. Members of the society also
used to demonstrate new photo equipment. Those who
were interested, but not members of the society gladly
visited the meetings, often totaling hundreds at times.
The RPS organized out-of-town photo sessions in the
beautiful suburbs of Moscow and nearby small towns.
Often, this was followed by exhibitions and contests.
The meetings of the society, as well as the journals,
were full of heated debates on photography, its place
in culture, and the direction of further development of
photography. N. Petrov, a person knowledgeable on
foreign photography and various theoretical and practi-
cal issues of photography, was a vigorous advocate of
pictorial photography. He kept promoting the aesthetic
concepts of pictorial photography in his speeches and
articles for Vestnik Fotografi i (Photography Magazine).
He also tried to familiarize the Russian readers with the
works by western masters. By 1930 the RPS had become
dislocated and ceased to meet further.
The Photographic Society of Odessa (PSO) was
founded in 1891. By January 1, it had 192 members.
PSO studied theoretical as well as practical aspects of
photography and gave an opportunity for the amateur
photographers to travel for artistic and scientifi c pur-
poses. The society members provided opportunities
to photograph rare antiques and remarkable pieces of
architecture. The PSO also held many of photo exhibi-
tions. Additionally, the PSO established a commission
for photo inspections that were needed for litigations.
There were also, among other societies, the Tifl is
Society of Photo Amateurs, the Baku Photo Coterie,
the Artistic and Photographic Society of Moscow, and
the Saint Petersburg Photography Society.
The societies’ major activities included the organi-
zation of photo exhibitions and providing support for
members’ participation in exhibitions held by other
societies. Russian photographers took part in lots of
international exhibitions, like the World Exhibition
in London in 1863 and the International Exhibition in
Berlin in 1865. Their works were an organic part of
the world’s art of photography. The works of Russian
photographers were often prize-winning. The All-Rus-
sia Photographic exhibition in Moscow in 1867 housed
over two thousand photos of typical Russian characters,
scenes of folk life, and landscapes. Photography formed
a large part of the International Polytechnic exhibition
in Moscow in 1872. In 1882 a remarkable event in the
history of Russian photography took place in Moscow,
an All-Russia exhibition within the framework of a
RETS session was held. Naturally the session included
the photography department as well, thus setting into
existence the fi rst photographer’s session in Russia. The
exhibition prodded and worked to understand photo ac-
tivity. The fi rst specialized exhibition was held in Saint
Petersburg in 1888 with 138 photographers participating
and 820 photos exhibited. To mark 50 years since the
invention of photography in 1889 the RETS organized
exhibitions in Saint Petersburg and in Moscow. At the