On Saturday, November 9, Dr. Christine Ruane presented “The Russian Empire’s New Clothes, 1700-1917” as a part of the Russian History Museum’s Second Saturday online lecture series.

Dr. Christine Ruane delves into the fascinating world of Russian fashion during the imperial era.

In the Q&A session, our host, Anastasia Shteinert, showed her collector’s edition Russian Barbie, and Dr. Ruane explained what Westerners got wrong about the traditional Russian costume.

About the Speaker

Professor Christine Ruane is a social, cultural, and gender historian of Imperial Russia. Her books include Gender, Class, and the Professionalization of Russian City Teachers, 1860-1914 (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1994) and The Empire’s New Clothes: A History of the Russian Fashion Industry, 1700-1917 (Yale University Press, 2009) which won the Association for Women in Slavic Studies prize for best book by a woman in 2009 and an honorable mention for the 2010 Reginald Zelnik prize in Russian history. She is also the author of many articles on topics in gender and women’s history and various aspects of fashion history. Her current research project explores the history and importance of kitchen gardening in Imperial Russia. Dr. Ruane is professor emeritus of history at the University of Tulsa. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia.