# Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii

> Russian chemist and photographer (1863–1944)

**Wikidata**: [Q101516](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q101516)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Prokudin-Gorsky)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/sergei-prokudin-gorskii

## Summary

Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii was a Russian chemist and photographer who lived from 1863 to 1944. He is best known for his pioneering color photography work in the Russian Empire during the early 20th century, producing a vast collection of color photographs that documented Russian life, architecture, and landscapes before the revolutions of 1917.

## Biography

- **Born:** August 31, 1863 (also cited as August 18, 1863)
- **Died:** September 27, 1944
- **Nationality:** Russian Empire, Russia
- **Education:** Educated at Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology (inception: 1828)
- **Known for:** Pioneering color photography in Russia; creating an extensive photographic archive of the Russian Empire
- **Employer(s):** Not specified in source material
- **Field(s):** Chemistry, Photography, Invention, Publishing, Pedagogy, Teaching, Travel

## Contributions

Based on the available source material, specific details about Prokudin-Gorskii's concrete contributions, publications, projects, or discoveries are not provided in the dataset. The occupation identifiers suggest he worked across multiple fields including chemistry, photography, invention, and publishing, but specific works, patents, or projects are not enumerated in the source material.

## FAQs

**What was Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii's profession?**

Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii was both a chemist and a photographer by profession, as well as an inventor, publisher, pedagogue, and teacher.

**Where did Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii receive his education?**

He was educated at the Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology, a university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, established in 1828.

**What nationality was Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii?**

He held citizenship in the Russian Empire and later Russia, living during the period of the Russian Empire (1721–1917).

**What is Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii known for?**

He is best known as a pioneering color photographer who documented the Russian Empire through extensive color photography in the early 20th century.

**When did Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii live?**

He was born in 1863 and died in 1944, living through the late Russian Imperial period, the revolutions of 1917, and the early Soviet era.

## Why They Matter

Based on the source material, Prokudin-Gorskii's significance stems from his dual role as a chemist and photographer during a transformative period in Russian history. His work in color photography represented a technical innovation for its time, and his documentation of the Russian Empire provided valuable visual records of Russian life, architecture, and landscapes in the decades before the revolutionary changes of 1917. As both a scientist trained in chemistry and a practitioner of photography, he represented the intersection of scientific technical innovation and artistic documentation. His travels throughout the Russian Empire as documented in his roles enabled him to create a comprehensive visual archive that would otherwise not exist.

## Notable For

- Being a pioneering color photographer in the Russian Empire
- Holding dual professions as both chemist and photographer
- Living through and documenting a pivotal historical period in Russian history (1863–1944)
- Having multiple recognized professions: chemist, photographer, inventor, publisher, pedagogue, teacher, and traveler
- Having an extensive photographic archive that documented the Russian Empire
- Being educated at Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology, one of Russia's oldest technical universities

## Body

### Early Life and Background

Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii was born on August 31, 1863 (also cited as August 18, 1863 in some sources). His life spanned a crucial period in Russian history, from the late years of the Russian Empire through the revolutionary changes of 1917 and into the Soviet era. He died on September 27, 1944.

### Education

Prokudin-Gorskii received his formal education at the Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology, one of Russia's premier technical universities founded in 1828. This educational background in technology and science provided him with the technical foundation for his work in chemistry and photography.

### Professional Roles

The source material identifies Prokudin-Gorskii with multiple professional identities:

- **Chemist:** A scientist trained in the study of chemistry
- **Photographer:** A person who takes photographs
- **Inventor:** A person that devises a new device, method, composition, or process
- **Publisher:** A person heading a publishing company or who publishes media
- **Pedagogue:** A person working in the academic field of pedagogy
- **Teacher:** A person who helps others to acquire knowledge, competences or values
- **Traveler:** A person who travels or makes voyages

This combination of roles suggests a multifaceted career that integrated scientific training with practical application, educational activities, and extensive travel throughout the Russian Empire.

### Historical Context

Prokudin-Gorskii lived during the existence of the Russian Empire, which was founded by Peter the Great on October 22, 1721 and dissolved on September 1, 1917 following the February Revolution. The Russian Empire was one of the largest empires in history, covering at its height in 1865 approximately 23.7 million square kilometers across Eurasia and North America. The empire's capital was Saint Petersburg, where Prokudin-Gorskii received his education.

### Legacy and Significance

As a photographer in the late Russian Imperial period, Prokudin-Gorskii played an important role in documenting Russian life, architecture, landscapes, and culture through the emerging technology of color photography. His work provided a visual record of the Russian Empire during a period of significant social and political transformation. The combination of his scientific training in chemistry and his photographic work represents the intersection of technical innovation and cultural documentation that characterized late Imperial Russian intellectual life.

### Identifiers and References

Prokudin-Gorskii is associated with numerous library and archive identifiers, including VIAF ID, Library of Congress Authority ID, Bibliothèque nationale de France ID, and others, indicating his recognition in international cataloging systems. His website (http://www.prokudin-gorsky.org/) maintains information about his photographic legacy.

## References

1. [Source](http://www.martinpatrick.net/blog/2014/5/10/colour-photographs-from-pre-revolutionary-russia)
2. [Source](http://www.armchairgeneral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129670)
3. [Source](http://www.armchairgeneral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2395147)
4. Virtual International Authority File
5. [Source](http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/photographic-tales-of-the-silk-road/2009/07/02/1246127630987.html)
6. The Fine Art Archive
7. [Source](https://www.loc.gov/collections/prokudin-gorskii/articles-and-essays/biographic-information/)
8. RKDartists
9. [Source](http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/art/19185524.html?location_refer=Art)
10. [Source](http://www.angelfire.com/pa/ImperialRussian/rare/rare9008.html)
11. International Standard Name Identifier
12. CiNii Research
13. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
14. CONOR.SI