The National Pushkin Museum presents a “toy” set of travel pistols made for the so-called small house of Pavel Voinovich Nashchokin, a miniature replica of his mansion in Moscow.

A set of travel pistols was a necessary item for all travelers in the 19th century. While on the road, an unexpected encounter with wild animals or robbers could occur, so travel pistols were in great demand. People would take carriage pistols and pocket, or belt pistols. Carriage pistols of large caliber were more impressive in terms of size than pocket pistols. The latter could fit in the palm of a man’s hand.

The miniature replica of Pavel Voinovich Nashchokin’s house has a pair of road pistols without a front sight, only 4,4 cm in length. Nashchokin, Alexander Pushkin’s friend, personally conceived the idea of creating such a peculiar “toy”. It was exactly five times smaller than the actual house; hence, the real pistols could have been a little more than 20 cm in length. Pushkin witnessed the creation of these toy objects for Nashchokin’s house. One might think the pistols would have most definitely attracted his attention. He repeatedly mentioned the house in letters to his wife Natalia. In a letter dated May 4, 1836, he wrote,