Horse drawn sledge, in Russia

Share

Snow-covered roads made the sledge a practical winter vehicle across much of Russia, and this photograph shows one pulled by a single horse. The print comes from the Frank and Frances Carpenter Collection at the Library of Congress, assembled by a travel writer who photographed daily life in many countries in the early twentieth century. The caption card gives no location or driver, so the exact scene is unidentified, but the image records a common form of winter travel before the revolutions of 1917 reshaped the country. Horses were the main draft animals of the period, so the picture also shows their everyday role in transport.

More from the Horses collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.