Browse Items (158 total)

Black Square was created in 1915 by Kasimir Malevich as a “total eclipse” of objective forms – a proclamation of Suprematism, a new artistic movement that eschewed depiction of objective forms in favor of working with cosmic space – an aesthetic…

This video, titled “Who let her behind the wheel?” is of note because it marks a synthesis of Russian jokes, by both insider and outsider perspectives. It’s a viral video that has gotten 12 million views on Youtube, starring a young woman who hits a…

Black bread was, since time immemorial, a ubiquitous Russian food. Born out of climactic and economic necessity, black bread has been credited with giving the Russian peasantry the physical strength necessary to crush Napoleonic France, but also…

A stencil celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Academy

Directed towards leftist American youth, Young Worker took a more pedagogical tone than other publications. Each issue devoted pages to instructing its readers in how to think about the issues of the day, and to projects of self-improvement. This…

Headline from the front page of The New York Times, May 20, 1918. This headline was cited in Lippman and Merz’s A Test of the News as an example of the bluntly interventionist positions present in purportedly objective news articles. There are a…

Although the American purchase of Alaska occurred after the Civil War, the treaty came about as a result of the same diplomatic circumstances that brought about Russo-American cooperation during the Civil War. The antagonism between Russia and…

On September 24, 1863, Russian ships suddenly appeared off the coast of New York City. Although the appearance of a foreign navy during the Civil War might seem to have been menacing, both the American government and private society welcomed…

The Polish Insurrection demonstrates the extent to which American diplomacy prioritized a strong relationship with Russia during the Civil War. In January 1863, protests against conscription in Poland exploded into a general rebellion against…

Cassius Marcellus Clay served as minister to Russia for two terms: first from July 14, 1861 to June 25, 1862, and again from May 7, 1863 to October 1, 1869. His tenure as minister was marked by a successful alignment of Russia with American…

Although the “Trent Affair” did not directly involve Russia, the affair demonstrated the need for the United States to bolster its diplomatic presence against British and French interests. In November 1861, the British government…