http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/eadafc.af006009 Sergei Zhirkevich Photograph Collection AFC 2000/026 Prepared by Sarah Bradley Leighton American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
November 2005 Guides to the Collections in the Archive of Folk Culture

Catalog Record: http://lccn.loc.gov/2005700221

Encoded by Amarantha Dyuaaxchs, August 2006 ; Revised by Nora Yeh Finding aid written in English January 2010 Nora Yeh Collection Summary AFC 2000/026 Sergei Zhirkevich Photograph Collection 1980-1998 Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home 3.5 linear feet (3 boxes) 82 pages of manuscript material; 1 monograph with 214 pages; 28 silver gelatin black-and-white photographic prints, ca. 12 x 16 inches. Zhirkevich, Sergei, 1958- Russian (Cyrillic); English Collection consists of 28 black-and-white photographic prints and 46 pages of diary excerpts written in the field by Sergei Zhirkevich, who documented music, dance, religious traditions (processions, Shrovetide customs) and rural life in the Pskov and Leningrad regions of Russia, the North Caucasus mountain area, Kazakhstan, and the former Baltic states between 1982 and 1998 for his book, Ot Zamogil'ia do Blagodati, From Beyond the Grave to Blessed Grace. (Sankt-Peterburg: Ikar, 1999). Collection includes one photograph taken in Estonia. Scope and Content

The photographic prints and manuscript material were produced during an ethnographic study conducted by Sergei Zhirkevich in which he documented the enduring folk and religious traditions of regional provincial life in the former Soviet Union. Zhirkevich spent over a decade interviewing local people, recording music, and photographing in the Pskov Region of Russia, the former Baltic states, the Leningrad region, Kazakhstan, and the region north of the Caucasus Mountains. The resulting monograph, Ot Zamogil'ia do Blagodati (From Beyond the Grave to Blessed Grace), was published in 1999.

 Biographical History

Sergei Zhirkevich was born in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, in 1958. Zhirkevich, who is trained as a professional photographer, is a professor at the Russian Institute of History of Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1982, he began his ethnographic folklore expeditions to the Pskov Region of Russia, the former Baltic states, the Leningrad Region, Kazakhstan, and the region north of the Caucasus Mountains. His goal was to document the varied folk and religious traditions that survived the years of Soviet rule. In 1996, Zhirkevich began compiling his material for Ot Zamogil'ia do Blagodati (From Beyond the Grave to Blessed Grace) which was published in St. Petersburg by Ikar in 1999.

 Selected Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein.

 People Zhirkevich, Sergeĭ, 1958- collector, photographer. Zhirkevich, Sergeĭ, 1958- Ot Zamogilʹi︠a︡ do Blagodati. Subjects Accordionists--Russia (Federation)--Photographs. Dance--Russia (Federation)--Photographs. Documentary photography--Russia (Federation) Musicians--Russia (Federation)--Photographs. Orthodox Eastern Church--Russia (Federation)--Customs and practices--Photographs. Places Estonia--Social life and customs--Photographs. Russia (Federation)--Religious life and customs--Photographs. Russia (Federation)--Rural conditions--Photographs. Russia (Federation)--Social life and customs--Photographs. Form/Genre Diaries. Photographic prints. Administrative Information Provenance

The collection was donated to the Library of Congress by Sergei Zhirkevich after the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, viewed some of Zhirkevich’s photographs during a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, in October 1997. Zhirkevich sent a portfolio of material to the Library of Congress and select photographs were chosen by the Librarian’s office to be added to the Library’s permanent collection. The material was deposited with the Archive of Folk Culture at the American Folklife Center in the spring of 2000.

 Arrangement

The collection was processed by Sarah Bradley Leighton in March 2005. The photographic prints were matted and boxed by the Preservation Directorate of the Library of Congress. Each print was assigned a unique identifying number and the verso of each print was photocopied to capture the handwritten notes that appear there. The verso notes that appear in the container list were translated by Sarah Bradley Leighton and Harold Leich of the European Division, but researchers are encouraged to use the photocopies of the original versos in Russian, located in Box 1, Folder 2, to make their own interpretations.

 Access

The collection is open for research. Duplication of the collection materials may be governed by copyright and other restrictions.

 Preferred Citation

Sergei Zhirkevich Photograph Collection (AFC 2000/026), Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

 Collection Concordance by Format Quantity Physical Extent (original) Location Item Numbers Manuscript Materials 82 pages of manuscript material Box 1 Folders 1-3 214 pages in published monograph Box 1 Folder 4 Graphic Images 28 silver gelatin black-and-white photographic prints Boxes 2-3 PH01-PH28
http://lccn.loc.gov/2005700221 Container List Series I: Manuscripts 1 1 Finding Aid and Diskette

Copy of this document and a diskette with saved finding aid file. 8 pages.

 1 2 Copies of Photographs Versos for PH01-PH28

Preservation photocopies of the verso of the photographic prints documenting the notes written in Russian. 28 pages.

 1 3 Diary Excerpts

Typewritten excerpts from the diaries made by Sergei Zhirkevich during his field research. 46 pages.

 1 4 Monograph - Ot Zamogil'ia do Blagodati (From Beyond the Grave to Blessed Grace)

Copy of the book in which the photographs from the collection are published. The text contains reprinted quotations from the people interviewed. It should be noted that the form of Russian used in the text is representative of the dialect spoken in the provincial regions depicted. 214 pages.

 Series II: Graphic Images

The list below contains descriptions of the subject of each photograph, the location at which the photograph was taken, the date on which the photograph was taken, and the transcription of the verso caption translated from Russian to English. Also included is the physical description and dimensions of the photograph, a note indicating whether the photograph is signed by the photographer, and the page number on which the photograph appears in the monograph, Ot Zamogil'ia do Blagodati. It is important to note, that the location information often refers to an “oblast” which refers to an administrative territorial division within Russia and other countries formerly part of the Soviet Union.

 2 PH01 A woman touching her head scarf, smoking a cigarette, and smiling. Location unknown. Date unknown.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. Aksin’ia." 1 black-and-white print. 14 x 11 inches. Signed. Page 13.

2 PH02 A man standing on the shore of Lake Glukhoe wearing wet shorts and making the "Old Believer" sign of the cross with right hand. Pskov Oblast. 1994.

Verso caption: "Old Believer Victor, Glukhoe Lake, Pskov Oblast. 1994." 1 black-and-white print. 10.5 x 15.5 inches. Not signed. Page 19.

2 PH03 A woman wearing a head scarf seated inside her house playing the accordion. Pskov Oblast. 1990.

Verso caption: "Maria Sosenkova./Singer. Accordionist, Violinist, 'white' sorceress/1990. Pskov Oblast." 1 black-and-white print. 12.25 x 16.5 inches. Not signed. Page 29.

2 PH04 A woman wearing a head scarf and holding a candle with a portrait of Vladimir Lenin hanging on the wall behind. Location unknown. 1980-82?

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. Bolshevik-sorceress. 80-82(?)." 1 black-and-white print. 10.75 x 15.25 inches. Signed. Page 39.

2 PH05 A gathering of women standing in a field with a gathering of men in the background. Vinnitsy in Leningrad Oblast. Date unknown.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. Vinnitsy. Leningrad Oblast." 1 black-and-white print. 15 x 11 inches. Signed. Page 156.

2 PH06 Woman standing in front of a barn. Location unknown. 1991.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. 1991. Evdok’ia Borovikova." 1 black-and-white print. 11 x 15 inches. Signed. Page 57.

2 PH07 A religious procession. Young boy and woman in foreground holding candles. Pskov-Pechory Monastery in Pskov Oblast. 1993.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. Pechory. 1993." 1 black-and-white print. 14.75 x 10.75 inches. Signed. Page 58.

2 PH08 A man in foreground holding a cross that hangs around his neck. In the background, a woman stands in the doorway of the house. Location unknown. 1996.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. 1996. On the path to becoming a 'Holy Fool.' Vanya." 1 black-and-white print. 10.75 x 14.75 inches. Signed. Page 61.

2 PH09 A man and woman seated. Man holding a white dog. Izborsk in Pskov Oblast. 1995.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. 1995. Izborsk. Family." 1 black-and-white print. 10.75 x 14.5 inches. Signed. Page 65.

2 PH10 Three women and one man standing on a dirt road near a fence. The man is playing the accordion. Pskov Oblast. 1984.

Verso caption: "Accordionist Stepan, Pskov Oblast. 1984." 1 black-and-white print. 15.75 x 11.75 inches. Not signed. Page 78.

2 PH11 A smiling man (standing) and woman (seated) in front of their house. Location unknown. Date unknown.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. Grandfather Savelii and his wife, Vera. (Atliakovs)." 1 black-and-white print. 11 x 15 inches. Signed. Page 87.

2 PH12 Candles in foreground with people in background. Pskov-Pechory Monastery in Pskov Oblast. 1994.

Verso caption: "Prayer service at Pskov-Pechory Monastery/Assumption of the Virgin Mary/1994." 1 black-and-white print. 15.75 x 12.25 inches. Not signed. Page 90.

2 PH13 Man and woman dancing in their yard while three dogs look on. Fëdorovka, Russia. Date unknown.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. Grandfather Fëdor from Fëdorovka and his wife, Olya/Waltz: Mare’s Tears/." 1 black-and-white print. 15 x 10.75 inches. Signed. Page 92.

2 PH14 Man standing in a garden singing and playing the accordion. Fence posts with overturned mason jars in background. Location unknown. Date unknown.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. Savelii Atliakov." 1 black-and-white print. 10.25 x 15.25 inches. Signed. Page 97.

3 15 A group of men gathered in a field with trees in the background. Location unknown. Date unknown.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. From the series: Refuge in the forest." 1 black-and-white print. 14.25 x 10.5 inches. Signed. Page 125.

3 16 A woman wearing head scarf smiling and playing the guitar. Location unknown. Date unknown.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. Accordionist Maria." 1 black-and-white print. 15.25 x 10.75 inches. Signed. Page 133.

3 17 People gathered in a field dancing and playing instruments. Location unknown. 1987.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. Holiday. 1987." 1 black-and-white print. 15.25 x 11.25 inches. Signed. Same scene, but not the same photograph, page 134.

3 18 A woman keening over a life-size doll as part of the Maslenitsa (Shrovetide) tradition. Pskov Oblast. 1989.

Verso caption: "Stepanida Moisenko keens (mournfully wails) for 'Maslenitsa Grandfather.' Village of Mockalianiata. Pskov Oblast. 1989." 1 black-and-white print. 11.5 x 16 inches. Not signed. Same scene, but not the same photograph, page 136.

3 19 A man and woman dressed as bride and groom. Another man plays the accordion and another looks on holding a bottle. Location unknown. Date unknown.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. Playing a wedding/Reconstruction of an old ritual." 1 black-and-white print. 14.5 x 10.75 inches. Signed. Page 148.

3 20 A woman with head scarf singing in her house. A framed portrait of Vladimir Lenin in the background. Pskov Oblast. 1984.

Verso caption: "Liubov Berzina. Singer. Pskov Oblast. 1984." 1 black-and-white print. 15.25 x 11.25 inches. Not signed. Page 149.

3 21 A man sitting on a chair cross legged playing the accordion. Location unknown. Date unknown.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. Accordionist Vasilii." 1 black-and-white print. 10.75 x 14.75 inches. Signed. Page 151.

3 A shoeless man seated on window sill of a house playing the accordion while he sings a song entitled, "Kolyma." Kolyma is the region in Siberia infamous for Stalin’s labor camps. Location unknown. Date unknown.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. Zhora Zhukov. The first song in the new house -'Kolyma.'" 1 black-and-white print. 10.5 x 15.5 inches. Signed. Page 155.

3 23 A woman in floral dress covering her head with a scarf and standing over a life-sized doll as part of the Maslenitsa (Shrovetide) tradition. Border of Pskov Oblast and Belarus. 1984.

Verso caption: "Preparing 'Maslenitsa Grandmother' at collective farm, 'Trudy.' 1984. Border of Pskov Oblast and Belarus." 1 black-and-white print. 11.5 x 15.75 inches. Not signed. Same scene, but not the same photograph, page 168.

3 24 A gathering of people. Man holding a religious icon in the foreground. Pskov-Pechory Monastery in Pskov Oblast. 1995.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. Pechory. 1995." 1 black-and-white print. 13.75 x 10.75 inches. Signed. Page 182.

3 25 A cross carved into a gravestone. Izborsk, Pskov Oblast. Date unknown.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. Izborsk. Grave of an unknown." 1 black-and-white print. 11 x 14.75 inches. Signed. Page 184.

3 26 Outdoor religious ceremony. Priest is blessing worshipers with holy water. Location unknown. Date unknown.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich." 1 black-and-white print. 15 x 10.75 inches. Signed. The version published on page 204 is the mirror image of the print.

3 27 A rooftop cross silhouetted by clouds and sun. Pskov. 1996.

Verso caption: "Photo: S. Zhirkevich. Pskov. 1996." 1 black-and-white print. 15.25 x 11.75 inches. Signed. Page 207.

3 28 Two young boys posed in front of a wall with graffiti. Tallinn, Estonia. 1982.

Verso caption: "At a wall. Tallinn, 1982." 1 black-and-white print. 12.5 x 14 inches. Not signed. Not published in monograph.