Set of two original antique hand-colored stereoscopic photographs from the personal archive of Sergei Petrovich Rakochi, Russian Empire, circa 1900–1910.
Both photographs depict the same elegant garden gathering of seven women and one gentleman, surrounded by ornamental flowers, lush foliage, and trees.
The standing gentleman is believed to be Sergei Petrovich Rakochi, wearing an Imperial Russian civil service uniform. According to the visible insignia, his collar tabs feature two stripes, three stars, and a departmental emblem, consistent with the rank of Court Councillor (Nadvorniy Sovetnik), VII Class in the Russian Empire's Table of Ranks.
The women are dressed in elegant period clothing, offering a fascinating glimpse into upper-class family and social life in the Russian Empire.
An especially interesting feature is the different hand-coloring of the two stereoviews.
In the first photograph, mainly the flowers have been selectively colored. In the second, both the flowers and the surrounding green foliage have been colored, creating a more vivid appearance.
These two versions may represent early experiments in photographic hand-coloring, illustrating different stages or approaches to adding color to stereoscopic photographs.
Both photographs are mounted on original cardboard supports, one gray and the other dark green.
Date: Circa 1900–1910
Origin: Russian Empire, present-day Ukraine
Provenance: Sergei Petrovich Rakochi family archive
Subject: Imperial Russian civil official, elegant women, garden gathering, upper-class society
Technique: Original stereoscopic photography with selective hand-coloring
Size: 87 × 177 mm (3.43 × 6.97 inches) each
Quantity: 2 original stereoscopic cards, containing 4 photographic images
An unusual matched pair for collectors of Imperial Russian history, antique stereoviews, early color photography, historical uniforms, and family archives.
Both original stereoscopic photographs are included in this lot.
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