October 12, 2016

The Russian History Museum presents a pop-up exhibition dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II. Among the displayed objects are the Russian and French editions of Nicholas II’s coronation album, banquet menus, medals, concert programs and tickets, commemorative scarves, cups, popular prints, and a robe from a set of vestments created specifically for the coronation. Visitors can look through a digitized version of the Nicholas II coronation album.

In conjunction with the exhibit, Kristen Regina, the Arcadia Director of the Library and Archives at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, will present a lecture titled “Portrait of a Dynasty: The Coronation Albums of the Romanovs,” explored the sumptuous books published to document the pomp and pageantry of Russian imperial coronations. These volumes were lavishly illustrated with depictions of the coronation ceremony, processions, official dinners and balls, banquet menus, public celebrations and imperial regalia. In her lecture, Regina presents Russian coronation albums as a fascinating portrait of the Romanov dynasty and how its rulers wanted to be viewed. Prior to working at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Regina served as Chief Art Librarian at Hillwood Museum, where she curated the exhibition “Pageant of the Tsars: The Romanov Coronation Albums.”

The pop-up exhibition is presented in cooperation with the Russian Nobility Association in America.