The collection features a bookcase made of brown wood. The case consists of a back wall, two side walls and a front part with two glazed doors, which are decorated with laid-on floral carvings at the bottom. Behind the doors, there are four shelves. The lower part of the bookcase is an open niche shelf, the corners of which are decorated with carved wooden brackets. The chiseled legs of the object are small. The upper part of the bookcase is decorated with a stepped cornice. The front corners are adorned with carvings and panels, or framing.

People used such an interior element for a long time. For example, in the Roman Empire, bookcases were intended for storing scrolls and were usually located in government offices and houses of wealthy families. Such cases were open and made of wood. A little later, shelves were added, and so were the doors: this way valuable books and documents could be stored much longer and were kept clean.

The bookcase acquired its classic form in the high Middle Ages. Bookcases have become mandatory attributes of classrooms and libraries.

By the 18th century, the appearance of bookcases had not changed much. Although they became more stable and refined in their design, they were still used to store printed and handwritten publications. Bookcases were closed with glass doors, but some bookshelves could be open.

The bookcase in the collection of the Apartment-Museum of the Ulyanov Family belonged to Vera Vasilyevna Kashkadamova, who was close to the Ulyanovs and often visited them.

Her acquaintance with the Ulyanovs began with the head of the family, Ilya Nikolaevich. From 1874, Ulyanov was the director of the public schools of the Simbirsk province. After graduating from the Higher Women’s Courses in Kazan, Vera Vasilyevna turned to him asking for a job. Ilya Nikolaevich helped Vera Vasilyevna Kashkadamova get a job as a teacher at the women’s parish school No. 5, became her mentor and sometimes even attended her lessons and gave advice.