St. Petersburg workshop explores histories in old documents

The free meeting «How to Decipher Stories from Old Documents?» will take place on February 5 at 7:00 PM at the «Podpisnye Izdaniya» store on Liteyny Prospekt, 57. It will be conducted by Maria Tychinina, author of the project From Past With Love, who specializes in researching family histories. The event is intended for audiences aged 16 and above and requires prior registration.

Tychinina emphasizes the unique value of old postcards and letters for genealogical research. «It»s an ideal object for study, where the date, address of residence, and full name are indicated,« Maria said in one interview. »In pre-revolutionary ones, there«s also status, occupation; it»s unique biographical information.«

One example of her work is the study of a postcard with a reproduction of Ivan Shishkin«s painting »Rye«, sent from the front of World War I. On the back, a Petrograd address and the beginning of a letter were preserved: »Dear Musenka, yesterday I received your letter...«. From these details, it was possible to reconstruct the soldier»s fate.

«Few activities bring me as much dopamine as genealogical searches!» shares Tychinina in her Telegram channel. Together with the publishing house «Bombora», she has prepared a special workbook for everyone who is starting to study their family history.

Admission to the event is free. To participate, it is necessary to register in advance through the website of «Podpisnye Izdaniya».