Researchers may make free and open use of the UC Berkeley Library’s digitized public domain materials. However, some materials in our online collections may be protected by U.S. copyright law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Use or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use (Title 17, U.S.C. § 107) requires permission from the copyright owners. The use or reproduction of some materials may also be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, privacy and publicity rights, or trademark law. Responsibility for determining rights status and permissibility of any use or reproduction rests exclusively with the researcher. To learn more or make inquiries, please see our permissions policies (https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies)
Description
The Institute for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies received a gift of these photographs from Vera and Robert Eby. The photos were donated to the Institute in the name of their son, James Peter Eby, who at the time of the donation was an undergraduate majoring in Russian History at Berkeley. James Peter Eby is a descendent of the Kropotkin family whose other descendents in the United States include Elizabeth Sidorov (nee Princess Elizabeth Kropotkin), Alex Alden, Vera Sidorov Eby, and Christopher Eby. This collection of photographs has been in the possession of the Eby family for some time. They are housed in the offices of the Institute for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies and in the History Department of UC Berkeley. Little is known about the circumstances under which these photographs were taken, however the Eby family has verified that the photographs date from the late nineteenth century. A horizontal sepia-toned photograph from the late nineteenth century captures a wide, rural outdoor scene with several people and horses. In the foreground, a large dirt area is occupied by a line of four dark-colored horses harnessed to carts or equipment, with several individuals standing nearby in traditional, dark-colored clothing. To the far right, a solitary figure stands apart from the main group. The background features a dense, dark forest that stretches across the horizon, with a white, domed structure, possibly a church or estate building, rising above the treeline in the center. The sky is a pale, uniform gray. Below the original photograph, a horizontal color calibration target featuring various colored squares and a grayscale step wedge is visible, included for archival digitization. Image description generated by AI (Gemini 3.0 Fast) and reviewed, January 2026 .
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
