The exhibition Tsarskoe Selo Photo Chronicle: Life in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries invites the viewer into a bygone world with photographs from the collections of Tsarskoe Selo, Rosphoto, Pushkin Town Museum and Akhmatova Museum.

The exhibition is available in the main (central) building of the Admiralty pavilion (entrance via the right side door) in the Catherine Park 11am–5pm (last entry 4pm) Tuesday–Sunday from 11 June to 30 August 2026. Free admission with a park ticket.

The first in a future series of historical photo exhibits, this display introduces the viewer to the life at the imperial residence and in the adjacent town of Tsarskoe Selo through camera lenses capturing different faces and events. Photographs of Tsar Nicholas II's family, portraits of prominent and common locals and visitors, celebrations and everyday scenes are brought together in three sections not only as historical documents but as witnesses to changes in architecture, fashion, and the way of life.

The first section shows Life Inside and Outside Tsar's Quarters with photographs of momentous events for the imperial family and Tsarskoe Selo. Those include snapshots taken by Nicholas II, his family members and friends during winter skiing or summer kayaking in the Alexander Park. Noteworthy are the pictures of elephants held at Tsarskoe Selo in 1892 and the 1900s, and the Tsarskoe Selo Bicentennial Expo of 1911. 

The second section Dacha People: Summer Residents of Tsarskoe Selo showcases photos from early 20th-century private collections.   

The third section Faces of the City: Turn-of-the-Century Photo Studios of Tsarskoe Selo offers portraits of people that lived, served or were quartered here, some known and some still nameless.