The Pskov Province, which became an independent region in the late 18th century, was known for its vibrant arts scene. In particular, portraits became widespread in noble estates. They were often painted by local and visiting painters, sold at fairs, and used as decorations in bourgeois homes. The artists behind such portraits often remained unknown.

In the first half of the 19th century, the Toropets portrait became a popular genre. There is evidence that a portrait workshop existed in the town of Toropets in the 1830s and 1840s. One such portrait, “Portrait of a Toropets Girl with a Flower”, was previously kept in the collection of Fyodor Mikhailovich Plyushkin in Pskov.

Fyodor Plyushkin was the owner of the Antiquities Museum, the founder of one of the largest private collections in the Russian Empire, a member of the Pskov Archaeology Commission, and a merchant of the first guild. His ancestors had lived in Pskov for many generations. Fyodor Plyushkin was also a benefactor and received the title of honorary member of the Pskov Guardianship for Orphans. For his contributions to charity, he was awarded the Order of Saint Stanislaus, 3rd class, four gold medals, and one silver medal.

In the early 20th century, Plyushkin’s museum contained approximately one million exhibits, many of which have survived to this day and are now housed in various museums, including the State Russian Museum, the State Hermitage Museum, the Pskov State United Historical, Architectural and Art Museum Reserve, and many others.

“Portrait of a Toropets Girl with a Flower” was created by a provincial artist who depicted a young woman in festive clothing. The painter followed a specific canon: this is a half-length portrait, with the model’s arms folded under her chest.

The woman is dressed in a traditional outfit — a white muslin shirt, a brocade sundress, and a pearl kokoshnik known as a “shishak”. It was a festive headpiece worn by married women in the Toropets district of the Pskov Governorate. Its most ornate part in the front was decorated with “cones” (shishkas) that symbolized fertility.

In the late 18th century and the first half of the 19th century, such headpieces were popular among women from wealthy merchant families in Toropets. Peasants began to wear shishaks in the mid-19th century, usually as part of their wedding outfits. In cheaper variations, chopped mother-of-pearl or small river pearls were used.