Books of the old house

The project “Books of the old house” will take you back in time 100 years, to an old manor, similar to the one that Alexandre Benois painted on the letter “D” page from the “Illustrated ABC book”, the artist created for his little son Kolya in 1904. One can only guess where its residents disappeared. However, the memory of the house is preserved in books, portraits, and toys. The books that live in the rooms do not tell us about the history of children’s pre-revolutionary literature, but rather about what the three generations of a large family read, loved, and chose to keep. The books managed to protect what their owners dreamed of, what inspired them, what was important and valuable for each individual and for all of them together. Moving from room to room, you will learn about the best children’s books of the XIX — early XX century and see the change in attitude towards children’s literature, the development of the confrontation between didactic realistic prose that protected young readers from vice and dangers and books that immersed them in the world of fairy tales, dreams, adventures, and humour. Alexandre Benois, who created the ‘Illustrated ABC book’, became the prototype for Dad of the virtual family inhibiting our house, while his book will guide you through the exhibition.