A Picture of St. Petersburgh
London: Printed for E. Orme, by J. F. Dove, 1815
NYPL, General Research Division
After its key role in Napoleon’s defeat, Russia
held enormous interest for other European peoples, both
victors and vanquished. Publications such as this collection
of views served to further emphasize Russia’s European
character. Here, ships and smaller barges ply the waters
at the confluence of the Greater and Lesser Neva rivers.
In the distance are the Academy of Sciences building
on Vasilevskii Island, and the Bourse. The gondola-like
craft navigating its canals emphasize the romantic notion
of St. Petersburg as the “Northern Venice.”