Voyage dans la Russie meridionale et la Crimee par la Hongrie, la Valachie et la Moldavie. Execute en 1837. Edition illustree de 64 dessins par Raffet. Paris, 1840. Ellis Aves H18

Voyage dans la Russie meridionale et la Crimee par la Hongrie, la Valachie et la Moldavie. Execute en 1837. Edition illustree de 64 dessins par Raffet. Paris, 1840. Ellis Aves H18

To Russia With Love... The Demidov family of mine owners rose to prominence under Peter I when they were granted extensive landholdings for construction of metallurgical factories in the Urals. Master craftsmen were brought in, factories were built, extra lands and serfs were bought, and the family ultimately produced more than 40% of the cast iron in Russia. However, by the beginning of the 19th century they were producing only 25% and subsequently holdings began to decline. The Demidovs nevertheless became part of the court aristocracy and came to be known no longer as "the famous old Russian family of Urals mine owners" but as "the famous old Russian family of writers and travelers," of which Anatolii, born in 1812, was a prime example. And the West noticed him. His uncle had commanded a regiment to oppose Napoleon, but love ultimately proved the more powerful force than war and Anatolii married Jerome Bonaparte's daughter Mathilde. This work, from the Ralph N. Ellis Collection, is part of our larger collection of illustrated herpetological books spanning five centuries.

Ellis Aves H18