The State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSPHOTO, in collaboration with the Museum-Reserve of the Heroic Defense and Liberation of Sevastopol, presents the exhibition project “Sevastopol. The City of Two Defenses.” The exhibition features unique photographs spanning an entire century — from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century, depicting Sevastopol during the most severe trials in its history.

The earliest photographs of Sevastopol date back to the period of the Crimean War (1855–1856). The city, which withstood a siege for 349 days, became the first city whose military campaign was documented through photography. The Crimean War of 1853–1856 was a large-scale conflict that shaped the course of 19th-century history. Russia found itself in an unprecedented situation, confronting a military alliance of Great Britain, France, the Ottoman Empire, and Sardinia. Military operations took place in the waters of the Black, Azov, White, Baltic, and Barents Seas, as well as off the coast of Kamchatka, but the main events unfolded in Crimea. Contemporaries aptly compared the defense of Sevastopol to the Siege of Troy, mythologizing this vast conflict. For the first time in the history of armed confrontation, photography was used for its coverage: more than ten British and French photographers worked in Sevastopol, documenting fortifications, positions, and participants in the battles.

Of particular interest are the rarest examples of early photography from the ROSPHOTO collection — original salt paper prints created by one of the world’s first war photojournalists, James Robertson. He managed to capture for contemporaries and future generations a vast range of subjects: views of forts, docks, Balaklava, the aftermath of battles, and, of course, the famous panorama of Sevastopol from 1855. The exhibition also features works by outstanding photographers of the late 19th century, including F. Orlov, I. Gezlemeza, S. Rainish, and M. Protopopov.

The exhibition “Sevastopol. The City of Two Defenses” includes more than 200 photographs, as well as lithographed and collotype albums from the second half of the 19th century, recreating the image of Sevastopol across the centuries. Original photographic prints are complemented by newsreel footage, publications illustrated by photojournalists, and documents, awards, personal belongings, diaries, and memoirs of photographers and cinematographers.

These invaluable testimonies tell not only of the heroic milestones in the city’s history, but also of the people who, despite all hardships, continued to create, preserving the memory and spirit of Sevastopol. The exhibition will be of interest to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the history and the heroic legacy of Sevastopol.

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