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PH1726
Photographs: PH1726
Title
Maria Samarova as Kvashnya
Subject
Date
1902
Dimensions
height: 13.8cm
width: 8.7cm
width: 8.7cm
Provenance
Presented by Michael Gaunt, September 2023.
Other number
E0146
This postcard depicts Maria Alexandrovna Samarova in the role of Kvashnya in Maxim Gorky's play 'Na Dne', which translates to 'The Lower Depths' or 'On the Bottom'.
Samarova was an early member of the Moscow Art Theatre (MAT), which was formed in 1898. The actor Konstantin Stanislavski and his co-founder, the writer and drama teacher, Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, wanted to break away from the state-run theatres, bring back high standards and professionalism in acting, and strive towards emotional truth and realism in their performances. Maxim Gorky was one of several contemporary writers that began an artistic partnership with the company. Gorky completed ‘The Lower Depths’ in 1902 and it was staged by MAT on 18 December 1902. It was the second of three plays by Gorky that the company produced.
‘The Lower Depths’ follows a group of impoverished Russians living in a lodging house near the River Volga and is a social commentary on Russia’s lower classes. The character of Kvashnya is a vendor of meat pies or Pirozhki, and lives in the kitchen of the lodging house.
Samarova is depicted sitting on a stool in front of a brick wall backdrop. She wears a dress typical of the Russian lower classes, with an apron and head scarf. She holds a round tin, possibly in the act of making Pirozhki.
The set was designed by Viktor Andreyevich Simov who was the principal scenographer for MAT between 1898-1912.
Samarova was an early member of the Moscow Art Theatre (MAT), which was formed in 1898. The actor Konstantin Stanislavski and his co-founder, the writer and drama teacher, Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, wanted to break away from the state-run theatres, bring back high standards and professionalism in acting, and strive towards emotional truth and realism in their performances. Maxim Gorky was one of several contemporary writers that began an artistic partnership with the company. Gorky completed ‘The Lower Depths’ in 1902 and it was staged by MAT on 18 December 1902. It was the second of three plays by Gorky that the company produced.
‘The Lower Depths’ follows a group of impoverished Russians living in a lodging house near the River Volga and is a social commentary on Russia’s lower classes. The character of Kvashnya is a vendor of meat pies or Pirozhki, and lives in the kitchen of the lodging house.
Samarova is depicted sitting on a stool in front of a brick wall backdrop. She wears a dress typical of the Russian lower classes, with an apron and head scarf. She holds a round tin, possibly in the act of making Pirozhki.
The set was designed by Viktor Andreyevich Simov who was the principal scenographer for MAT between 1898-1912.
