Exhibition "Voyages across the Eastern Sea. Russian America"

About exhibition

The collection is based on the book "The Voyage of the Russian Merchant Grigory Shelekhov in 1785 from Okhotsk across the Eastern Ocean to the American Shores," published in 1791, as well as letters of the Shelekhov family from Russian archives, copies of which are held in the funds of the G.I. Shelekhov Museum. The exhibition presents maritime navigation items, books, maps, models of sailing vessels, materials on the history of the exploration of North America, California, and Fort Ross, as well as travelers' household items and clothing. Samples of fabrics from past centuries reveal the image of the merchant and the activities of the Shelekhov merchant family. Engravings and drawings of plants, birds, and marine animals introduce the remarkable world of the flora and fauna of the Pacific islands. Archaeological items from Alaska and ethnographic materials of northern peoples, brought from Saint Lawrence Island, reflect features of the culture and economic life of Russian settlers in Alaska.