Autographed photo by writer Leo Tolstoy

The text of the appeal:
"From
/ Leo Tolstoy/
1909 Yasnaya Polyana

Leo Tolstoy is one of the pillars of Russian culture, embodying the greatness of literature, the power of moral ideas and protest against spiritual inertia. His views and beliefs formed the basis of a whole religious and philosophical trend, which is called Tolstoyism. The literary legacy of the writer amounted to 90 volumes of artistic and journalistic works, diary notes and letters.

1909 was the last full year of Tolstoy's life in Yasnaya Polyana, the family estate where he spent most of his life and created his main works. During this period, the 81-year-old writer, already an internationally recognized classic, actively corresponded with followers, worked on journalism and received numerous guests, including photographers. The presented autograph is one of the rare documentary evidence of this time — photographs in Yasnaya Polyana were taken infrequently due to technical difficulties: the process required special equipment and long exposure.