Prokudin-Gorskii's photographs show:
sacred architecture and associated shrines of note (churches, cathedrals, monasteries, and mosques)
liturgical and secular objects of historic significance (vestments, icons, reliquaries, and other objects relating to saints, previous Tsars, and the Napoleonic War)
public works (the engineering, construction, and use of railroads, bridges, dams, canals, locks, and roads)
industry (iron, gold, and copper mining; production of cotton and silverware; professions as varied as shepherds and street vendors)
agriculture (tea plantations and farming activities such as planting and haying)
people, often posed in traditional clothing
views of cities, villages, waterfronts, landscapes, and flowering plants.
Method:
Glass negatives (24x9 cm.): Prokudin-Gorskii's unusual triple-frame black-and-white negatives consist of three exposures made through blue, green, and red filters to produce photographs that could be printed or projected in color, usually for magic lantern slide shows.
