Arkhangelsk, General view — engraving

Arkhangelsk. General view.

"VUE GENERALE D'ARKHANGELSK". 

Technique, Material: Woodcut / Paper
Artist: H. Clerget  Engraver: Félix-Jean Gauchard
Date, Publisher: "Nouvelle geographie universelle: la terre et les hommes", Paris, 1881.
Size: sheet 27x18, image  19x13 cm.

This wood engraving presents a general view of Arkhangelsk as it appeared in the late 19th century, capturing the distinctive character of Russia's principal northern port before the industrial transformations of the 20th century.

Arkhangelsk, founded in 1584 by order of Tsar Feodor Ioannovich, lies on the right bank of the Northern Dvina River near its delta into the White Sea. The city spreads for over 40 kilometers along the river's banks, with its heart situated on the elevated right shore—precisely the perspective captured in this engraving.

The view depicts the city's waterfront as it existed in 1881, the year this engraving was published. Unlike the grand stone embankments of St. Petersburg, Arkhangelsk's riverfront retained a more natural character: grassy banks, earthen paths, and wooden structures lining the shore. This reflected the city's role as a working port rather than an imperial showpiece.

In the foreground, modest passenger and cargo piers extend into the Northern Dvina, serving the vessels that made Arkhangelsk Russia's primary international harbor before the founding of St. Petersburg. Even in the late 19th century, the city remained a vital maritime center. Historical records indicate that in 1886, 471 ships and 880 rafts arrived via the Northern Dvina, carrying cargo valued at 2.5 million rubles.

The engraving likely shows some of the 904 Russian sailing vessels and 74 steamers that annually plied these waters, along with foreign ships that continued to trade at this northern port. The modest piers reflect the practical, utilitarian nature of a port where commerce trumped aesthetics.

On the second plane rise the domes and bell towers of Arkhangelsk's churches and cathedrals—the architectural anchors of the northern capital. According to contemporary descriptions from 1881, the city possessed 23 Orthodox churches, one monastery, a Lutheran church, a Roman Catholic church, and two Anglican churches.

Among the most prominent would have been the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael, from which the city takes its name, and the Solombala Cathedral, completed in 1766. The Kafedralny (Cathedral) Sobor, finished in 1805, was described by contemporaries as "one of the brightest and most beautiful cathedrals in Russia". These sacred structures, with their characteristic Russian Orthodox domes and bell towers, would have dominated the skyline visible from the river.

In 1881, Arkhangelsk had a population of approximately 17,665 residents, a figure that would grow to 20,882 by 1897. The city was divided into "Russian" and "German" sides, reflecting its cosmopolitan character as an international port where foreign merchants—particularly Germans, English, and Dutch—had long played significant commercial roles.

The engraving's naturalistic waterfront—with its earthen paths and grassy banks—accurately reflects a city where, according to contemporary accounts, "life and movement freeze for 6-7 months when the river freezes". This seasonal rhythm defined existence in Arkhangelsk, where the port's activity pulsed with the opening of navigation each spring.

Source: "Nouvelle Géographie universelle"
This engraving comes from the monumental geographical work "Nouvelle Géographie universelle. La terre et les hommes" (New Universal Geography. The Earth and Its People) by Élisée Reclus, published in Paris by Hachette et Cie. The volume containing this view of Arkhangelsk was published in 1881, part of Reclus's comprehensive survey of world geography. The work was profusely illustrated with thousands of wood engravings created by skilled artists working from photographs and original drawings.

For modern viewers, this print offers a rare glimpse of Arkhangelsk before the transformations of the Soviet era—a city of wooden houses and stone churches, of earthen paths and modest piers, serving as Russia's gateway to the Arctic. It stands as both a work of art and an invaluable historical document of the northern capital in the late 19th century.