Revolutionary Moscow drawn by child witnesses

“Battle for Teatralny Square”, “Siege of a house” and “Shelling of the Kremlin” are just some of the titles from a series of drawings by children who witnessed of the revolutionary and post-revolutionary events of February-November 1917 in Moscow. // “The Moscow Front: Oct. 28-Nov. 5, 1917”, November 1917

Today, to mark the centenary of the revolution, the museum has created an exhibition of this artwork entitled “The Great Russian Revolution Drawn by Children”, which runs till June 19. // “Telephone station and people killed”, Moscow, December 1917

“Back then, boys and girls studied separately, so Voronov’s archive consists exclusively of drawings by boys from two Moscow institutions: the Lomonosov Grammar School and the Alexandrov Academy,” the exhibition curator Yevgeny Lukyanov told RBTH. // “Siege of a house”, Moscow, October-November 1917

Most of the names of the young artists, all of whom were aged 8-14, are sadly unknown. // “Shooting of cadets by the Bolsheviks”, Moscow, October-November 1917

All of them were given the task of drawing what they had seen on the streets and squares of Moscow on their way to school. // “Shooting at the Red Guard”, Moscow, October-November 1917

“The selection of drawings offers an accurate and interesting perspective, both historically and an artistically. // “Civil war in Moscow”, October-November 1917

The collection depicts the events of that time in all their color and diversity,” says Lukyanov. // “Crossfire in the street”, Moscow, October-November 1917

“Viewers will be interested to observe how the children’s attitudes changed over the period from February to October. // “House with traces of gunfire”, Moscow, October-November 1917

From the joyful acceptance of the February revolution to the total rejection of the October events—because the first revolution was perceived as liberation from the monarchy, while the Bolsheviks’ armed coup in October was horrifying. // “Shelled houses near the Kremlin”, Moscow, October-November 1917

The children themselves saw people being killed in the streets and shots being fired”. // “Shelling of the Kremlin”, Moscow, October-November 1917

“Shelling of the Kremlin”, Moscow, October-November 1917

“Bolsheviks search for weapons”, Moscow, November 1917

“Bolshevik Cemetery”, Moscow, November 1917

“Funeral of students and cadets”, Moscow, November 1917