On Saturday, March 21, Liliya Dashevski presented “Welcome to the Russian Nursery: Toys and Games in 19th-Century Russia” as a part of the Russian History Museum’s Second Saturday online lecture series.

What did children play with in 19th-century Russia? In her lecture, Liliya Dashevski examines the rich world of children’s toys and games (far beyond matryoshkas!) from both peasant and elite households.

About the Speaker

Liliya Dashevski is a PhD candidate in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at Yale University. Her dissertation research focuses on the play culture of Russian childhood in the long nineteenth century. She examines how toys, games, and books contribute to the imagination and construction of childhood, particularly in relation to concepts of nation and identity. Liliya has presented her research at many international conferences. Alongside her scholarly work, she has developed a strong interest in museum and curatorial practices. She has worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, studying paper dolls in the Department of Drawings and Prints, served as a Curatorial Assistant for the exhibition “Dollatry: Playing with Likeness,” and designed and led an oral history project at the Yale Center for British Art.