The family of the artist Alexander Gerasimov settled down in the town of Kozlov in the second half of the 19th century. The painter’s parents — Mikhail Safronovich and Yevdokia Yakovlevna — came from serf families.

The artist’s father Mikhail Safronovich tried various activities: he was a tenant of manorial gardens, a horseman and a mealmonger. At the age of 30, he became a fish-and-meat wholesaler: he started trading horses and bulls. This occupation, however, did not suit his character. To be successful in this line of business, one had to possess a certain amount of greediness and stubbornness, and it was hard for the soft, kind-hearted Mikhail Safronovich to get his way, which at times cost him a significant profit.

In 1886, Mikhail Safronovich bought a plot of land next to the Bogolyubsky Cathedral and built a house for his family. Lebedyanskaya Street, where the house was located, was considered one of the most beautiful and well-kept in Kozlov. There were brick houses with stone fences and massive gates, and the roadway was paved with cobblestones and always kept in perfect order. The image of the parents is distinguished by their uncontrived postures, expressive demeanor conveying thoughts and feelings, and portrait likeness.

Alexander Gerasimov liked to visit his parents at the beginning of summer, on the Holy Trinity Day, when peonies, irises, and Persian lilacs were in bloom. The artist loved to paint these flowers. The family was very hospitable and generous. Whenever Alexander Mikhailovich visited his parents’ house on Maslenitsa, the table was full of food. Gerasimov was very fond of having dinner with his parents. The artist’s sister Alexandra Mikhailovna was always the one to cook. She baked ham and geese, stewed meat, and made a lot of other preparations. Kozlov was the place where Alexander Mikhailovich Gerasimov lived from his first days right until leaving for the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (1881–1903) and several more years after the October Revolution (1918–1925).