This velvet photo album with a metal clasp used to belong to the family of Mikhail Chekhov, Anton Chekhov’s younger brother. It was donated to the museum by the widow of his son, Sergey Chekhov. The Chekhovs collected family archives and kept photos and their copies in special albums.

Albums started to gain popularity in 17th-century Europe. The first albums were compiled by travelers and contained illustrations and notes from their journeys. Later, albums became popular among university graduates who exchanged messages, drawings, and autographs with their friends before parting ways.

The tradition was adopted by aristocratic families: during receptions and balls, guests were asked to write something in a special autograph book. This was part of 19th-century etiquette. The owners of such books proudly showed off the collected autographs and drawings by famous people.

Such an album is mentioned as a source of pride for the “actual civil councilor” Zhmyhov, a character in Anton Chekhov’s satirical short story titled “The Album”. The story was published in the “Oskolki” (“Fragments”) magazine in 1884 when the young writer was only 24. In the first part of the story, Zhmyhov’s subordinates congratulated him on his anniversary. As clichéd as their speeches were, Zhmyhov was moved to tears. Having arrived home, the official showed off the present to the sound of greetings and applause, praising it as “the highest reward”.

The album in Chekhov’s story did not remain intact for very long. Zhmyhov’s daughter took it, threw away the photos of clerks, and put her school friends in their place, “The government uniforms made way for white pelerines.” Zhmyhov’s little son picked up the photos of clerks and “painted their clothes red; those who had no mustaches he presented with green mustaches and added brown beards to the beardless.” After that, “he cut the little men out of the cardboard, pricked their eyes with a pin, and began playing soldiers with them.”

When Zhmyhov became aware of his children’s antics he found them adorable and burst out laughing. For Zhmyhov and his colleagues, such an album and the autographs inside were merely a formality, an imitation of genuine human relationships.

It is unclear which member of the Chekhov family owned this velvet album. Most likely, it was a woman because the album is small and could easily fit into a purse. Moreover, the album is decorated elegantly.