RUSSIAN LUBOK
(POPULAR PRINT)



The Barber Wants to Cut an Old-Believer's Beard.  Woodcut, 18th c.

This page was created to acquaint students of Russian culture and folklore with the fascinating phenomenon of the popular print -- lubok. The presentation of the material is based on several sources (listed in the bibliography), particularly on the works by Sytova, Itkina, and Ovsiannikov. The unique feature of this presentation is my attempt to translate, as faithfully as possible, the texts found in the prints; the translations should bring the readers closer to the imagination and sensibility of the people who produced and enjoyed the lubok. As far as I know, there are no collections of lubok translations into English.

When you explore the pages, you should be aware that pop-up windows with translations may disappear from your screen if you inadvertently click outside of the opened pop-up window. In such a case, minimize your main window and you'll discover the translation window underneath. You must close it before you move to the next translation. In addition to the stationary pop-up windows with translations that can be printed out, the presentation includes pop-up glosses to some highlighted words. When the cursor lands on a highlighted word, a small window with the gloss opens. When you move the cursor off the word, the window automatically closes. Please note that these window features are generated by Java Script and they may take some time to load (especially with a slower Internet connection). I hope that your patience will be rewarded and that you'll enjoy the Russian lubok presentation. Don't forget to send me your comments about this page.

Also visit the RUSSIAN PAINTING page.


Copyright Alexander Boguslawski 1999