Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov went down in art as a master of genre paining. His pictures* Tea at the tavern* (1874), Book store, From apartment to apartment, Booths in the suburbs of Paris (all – 1876) were displayed at Peredvizhniki exhibitions and warmly welcomed by art critics.

Yet the part of the master’s legacy preceding his successful entrance to the circle of itinerant artists – early drawings and watercolors – has remained poorly studied so far. There are representatives of the clergy, functionaries, merchants, peasants, beggars and children in the variety of images and types created by the artist.

Noting the special warmth in the depiction of ordinary people, Vasnetsov’s contemporaries recognized him as “one of the most talented drawers of folk scenes”.

Most of the works are displayed for the first time.