this post was submitted on 20 Feb 2026
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HistoryPhotos

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HistoryPhotos is for photographs (or, if it can be found, film) of the past, recent or distant! Give us a little snapshot of history!

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  5. Photos MUST be at LEAST 10 years old, and ideally over 20. We appreciate that we are living through events which will become history, but this is ultimately not a comm for news or current affairs, but events which have occurred some time in the past.

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[–] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Wow, what a striking photo, and striking color / sharpness / contrast upgrade compared to the original.

So, I see that the Smolny Institute was Europe's first public educational institution for girls, founded in 1764 in accordance with a decree signed by Catherine the Great.

One wonders in what other culturally-significant ways Russia led Europe over the years. I do seem to recall leading painters and intellectuals liking to hang out in Moscow's cafes... er, well I think.

[–] PugJesus@piefed.social 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The Russian Empire has a very... funny history. At times the court was very progressive, but in such cases, it was almost always safer to be a foreign radical than a native one...

[–] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 2 points 1 day ago

it was almost always safer to be a foreign radical than a native one…

Hmm!!