Three enlisted men from the World War I Russian Army are pictured in this Cabinet card. The reverse of the card indicates that the photograph was taken in 1916 by the “Photo Studio of Y. S. Ivanchenko”. What exactly may have been on these soldiers minds. In 1916 Russia, the Russian war effort was characterized by shortages, poor command, death, and desertion. The citizens were facing starvatio, inflation and a refugee problem. Soldiers and civilians blamed the incompetence of the Tsar and the government. By the end of the year Rasputin was killed and the Tsar was warned that the army would not support him in event of revolution.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 