The Museum of Kyiv History presents the historical exhibition project “Kyiv Through the Lens. From the History of Urban Photography. 1850–1930s,” dedicated to the emergence and rapid development of photography in Kyiv. The photographs on display primarily offer an informative visual account of the lives of Kyiv residents from the late 19th century to the 1930s.

The concept of urban photography encompasses three key types: architectural photography, focusing mainly on historical landmarks; images of industrial sites, highlighting the city’s status; and depictions of the city as a living environment – genre scenes, sketches, and street photography. These three forms together present the city as a social space and a social organism. All three types are represented in the exhibition, featuring thematic collections of photographs with Kyiv cityscapes from the 1860s–1890s, the early 20th century, and the 1920s–1930s.

A significant part of the exhibition is dedicated to the work of Mykhailo Bolotov, who produced most of his photographs in the 1920s–1930s. These are exemplary pieces of high-artistic urban photography. Bolotov’s work demonstrates the dynamic development of urban photography, particularly architectural photography, from panoramic views to detailed shots of separate structures. Unfortunately, most of the landmarks captured in Bolotov’s photographs no longer exist. Now they live only with these images, awakening collective memory.

Particularly important for the present day are photographs documenting damage to Kyiv’s architectural monuments caused by artillery shelling by the Bolsheviks in January 1918. They reveal the brutal destructiveness of the Russians, regardless of the banners under which they attempted to destroy Kyiv. For example, these unique visual records show how the Bolsheviks damaged St. Sophia Cathedral over a century ago. As is known, in June 2025, their descendants repeated these acts.

The exhibition features various camera models from the early 20th century and the 1920s–1930s, produced in Western Europe as well as domestically. Among the diverse collection, a special place is given to the camera used by the renowned artist Fotii Krasytskyi. Many visitors will be surprised to learn that Fotii Krasytskyi, the grand-nephew of Taras Shevchenko, was passionate about photography and captured beautiful views of Kyiv. Additionally, the exhibition space includes a recreated fragment of a typical Kyiv photo studio interior from the late 19th to early 20th century.

Project partners: National Art Museum of Ukraine, National Museum of Decorative Arts of Ukraine, National Museum “Kyiv Art Gallery,” Central State Archive-Museum of Literature and Art of Ukraine, Fedor Zernetskyi, Mykola Karapota, Olena Nasyrova, Pavlo Tretiakov.

The project also uses materials from the family archives of the Berezovskyi, Biliashivskyi, Ponomarchuk, and Prakhov.