At the beginning of 1872, a commission was assembled in St. Petersburg, with Count Pavel Ignatyev as chairman. It included representatives from the city, the Duma and ministries. The commission was to establish a celebration program for the 200th anniversary of Peter I.
The celebrations began as shots were fired from the fortress wall. The sailors took Peter’s wherry boat to the monument on Petrovsky Square. Then there were prayer services, in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, on the Peter Wharf and at the monument. Peter’s “memorabilia” — personal belongings including the icon of the Savior — were placed in the St. Isaac Cathedral. The celebrations continued with a parade.
Folk festivals were organized on the Field of Mars. “Merchant Igolkin” and “Grandfather of the Russian Fleet” were presented on two open stages. The festivities also included music, dancing, treats and various contests with prizes. By special order of the commission, 30 canvases were made dedicated to Peter’s life and deeds with explanatory texts. In the pavilion on Field of Mars, two portraits and a bust of the emperor with a map of European Russia as the background were exhibited. Additionally, on June 4, the St. Petersburg Yacht Club showed tableaux vivant (living pictures) with decorations accompanied with readings.
Jubilee celebrations were held not only in the “The City of Peter”, but also in other Russian cities and even villages that the emperor visited at some point in his life: Moscow, Pereyaslavl, Arkhangelsk, Yamburg, Astrakhan. The memory of the tsar was honored with the opening of monuments, performances on open stages, tableaux vivant, fireworks and folk festivals.
In addition to that, commemorative table medals were made in St. Petersburg.
Souvenir table medals are traditionally made of bronze, silver, gold, or less often platinum, and decorated with profiles of outstanding people or plots of significant events. Initially, such medals were cast in wax, but gradually this process was replaced by machine-made hot stamping as it made it easier to work on fine details.
