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During the first part of his rule, Alexander
I (r. 1801–25)
extended Russia's influence as far as North America, to this
outpost in northern California.
During this period, Pavel Svin’in (1788–1839),
a travel writer and watercolorist, served as secretary to the
Russian consul in Philadelphia from 1811 to 1813. Several of
his numerous landscapes, scenic wonders such as Niagara Falls,
and vignettes of American life were used to illustrate his
travel account. His "African Methodist Service" is
typical of the exaggeration and theatricality of Svin’in’s
writing and art, depicting American life as something exotic
and wild.
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