Today, on World Post Day, a holiday that brings together postal workers around the world and reminds us of the importance of their work, we would like to remind you that museum Collection is hosting a themed exhibition entitled "The Handwriting of Time. Stationery and Postcards of the Silver Age." The exhibition is dedicated to Russian epistolary culture of the late 19^th – early 20^th centuries.

In the 1880s, the postal infrastructure in the Russian Empire developed rapidly, and the art of letter writing was constantly improving. Sending and receiving correspondence, as well as the order of composing business, friendly, and personal messages, took on certain forms that regulated this everyday communication.
The growing importance of written communication in society at the end of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries contributed to the emergence of a wide range of stationary, from fountain pens and inkwells to exquisite brand name items and business card holders. Such items were created by the best jewellers of the time: the firms of Carl Fabergé, the Grachev Brothers, Paul Buhre, Ignat Sazikov, Ivan Khlebnikov, and many others. Along with letters, photographic postcards with city views became a popular and sought-after epistolary phenomenon in the 1880s.

Guided tours are held within the framework of the exhibition, in the couse of which museum guests will have the opportunity to examine the thematic exhibition located on the lower ground floor and part of the main exposition housed on the third floor.

It is clear that nowadays personal correspondence does not play a major role in the transmission of information, but nevertheless, the examining of letters and postcards from the past has its place in the research activities of professionals and enthusiasts alike.

Let us once more turn to the exhibition “The Handwriting of Time. Stationery and Postcards of the Silver Age” materials. 
You can sign up for the tour on the museum's website in the “Contacts” section.

On the cover: Writing set: stand, inkpots (pair), bell, blotting-pad, paper cutting knife, box for matches, ashtray. A.S. Kaminsky, A.E. Sokolov art bronze factory. Russian Empire, Moscow. Late 1880s