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Pavel Petrovich Svinyin or Svinin (Па́вел Петро́вич Свиньи́н; 19 June 1787 – 21 April 1839) was a prolific
As secretary to the Russian diplomatic representative in the early 1810s, he painted a number of watercolors of life in America. Later he published the book ''Voyage Pittoresque Aux Etats-Unis de l'Amérique par Paul Svignine en 1811, 1812, et 1813''.
''"Merrymaking at a Wayside Inn"'', depicts travelers grabbing a hurried and impromptu dance on the road in early 1810s America (in rural Pennsylvania), and shows practices which would have been considered inelegant or shockingly informal in many socially genteel circles in Europe at the time (such as smoking in the presence of ladies, smoking indoors, a man taking off his tailcoat in the presence of ladies—leaving him wearing only his waistcoat and shirt on top—and holding onto one's horsewhip while dancing). Only one of the women has bothered to take off her bonnet. One of the dancing men isn't wearing socks/stockings.
At left, a couple is indulging in what could be considered an inappropriate public display of affection by some European standards of etiquette, while at right a black
Pavel Petrovich Svinyin or Svinin (Па́вел Петро́вич Свиньи́н; 19 June 1787 – 21 April 1839) was a prolific Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
n writer, painter, and editor known as a "Russian Munchausen" for many exaggerated accounts of his travels. He was Appolon Maykov's brother-in-law and Aleksey Pisemsky
Aleksey Feofilaktovich Pisemsky (russian: Алексе́й Феофила́ктович Пи́семский) () was a Russian novelist and dramatist who was regarded as an equal of Ivan Turgenev and Fyodor Dostoyevsky in the late 1850s, but whos ...
's father-in-law.
Biography
Svinyin, an inveterateAnglophile
An Anglophile is a person who admires or loves England, its people, its culture, its language, and/or its various accents.
Etymology
The word is derived from the Latin word ''Anglii'' and Ancient Greek word φίλος ''philos'', meaning "frien ...
, accompanied Dmitry Senyavin
Dmitry Nikolayevich Senyavin or Seniavin (russian: Дми́трий Никола́евич Сеня́вин; – ) was a Russian admiral during the Napoleonic Wars.
Service under Ushakov
Senyavin belonged to a notable noble family of sea ...
in the second Archipelago expedition of 1806 and was employed at the Russian consulate in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
between 1811 and 1813. He was an aide-de-camp to General Moreau and was present when he died. His first book, ''Sketches of Moscow and St. Petersburg'' (1813), made its first appearance in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
in English. He left one of the first written depictions of black church music in the United StatesDarden, Robert (1996). People Get Ready: A New History of Black Gospel Music. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group. . Page 40. and launched the publication of the literary magazine ''Otechestvennye Zapiski
''Otechestvennye Zapiski'' ( rus, Отечественные записки, p=ɐˈtʲetɕɪstvʲɪnːɨjɪ zɐˈpʲiskʲɪ, variously translated as "Annals of the Fatherland", "Patriotic Notes", "Notes of the Fatherland", etc.) was a Russian lite ...
'' in 1818.
Svinyin was on friendly terms with many leading Russian writers, including Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
and Gogol
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...
, and promoted the careers of talented peasants. In 1830 he left the capital and settled at his country estate near Galich. Svinin authored several historical novels and plays, a guide to St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
and its suburbs (in 5 volumes, 1816–28) and a catalogue of the Kremlin Armoury
The Kremlin Armoury,Officially called the "Armou/ory Chamber" but also known as the cannon yard, the "Armou/ory Palace", the "Moscow Armou/ory", the "Armou/ory Museum", and the "Moscow Armou/ory Museum" but different from the Kremlin Arsenal. ( ...
(1826). His personal collection, known as the "Russian Museum", featured a number of valuable paintings, statues, manuscripts, antiques, coins, and gems. It was auctioned off in 1834.
As secretary to the Russian diplomatic representative in the early 1810s, he painted a number of watercolors of life in America. Later he published the book ''Voyage Pittoresque Aux Etats-Unis de l'Amérique par Paul Svignine en 1811, 1812, et 1813''.
''"Merrymaking at a Wayside Inn"'', depicts travelers grabbing a hurried and impromptu dance on the road in early 1810s America (in rural Pennsylvania), and shows practices which would have been considered inelegant or shockingly informal in many socially genteel circles in Europe at the time (such as smoking in the presence of ladies, smoking indoors, a man taking off his tailcoat in the presence of ladies—leaving him wearing only his waistcoat and shirt on top—and holding onto one's horsewhip while dancing). Only one of the women has bothered to take off her bonnet. One of the dancing men isn't wearing socks/stockings.
At left, a couple is indulging in what could be considered an inappropriate public display of affection by some European standards of etiquette, while at right a black fiddler
A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, the ...
provides the music for the dance. Wagons can be seen outside the door.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Svinin, Pavel 1787 births 1839 deaths People from Galichsky Uyezd Diplomats of the Russian Empire Russian writers Russian publishers (people) Russian art collectors 19th-century painters from the Russian Empire Russian male painters Members of the Russian Academy 19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire