Andrey Osipovich Karelin (1837–1906) was the first photographer from Nizhny Novgorod to be recognized not only in Russia but also far beyond its borders. Karelin proved that photography could be an independent form of art by using various photographic and artistic techniques. His works became home to a world of beauty and harmony, existing on the edge of reality and unattainable perfection.
Andrey Osipovich Karelin was born in the Tambov Governorate in 1837. As a child, he learned icon painting and thanks to his outstanding skills was sent to the Imperial Academy of Arts, from which he graduated in 1864.
During his student years, Karelin worked part-time in Saint Petersburg photo studios, coloring and retouching photographic prints. The climate of the city had a negative impact on his health, so in 1865, he moved to Kostroma, where he worked in the photo studio of Mikhail Petrovich Nastyukov and created paintings. By that time, Karelin had married Yevgenia Nikitichna Makarenko, and the couple had three children — Lyudmila, Apollon and Andrey.
After his first wife passed away, Karelin married Olga Grigoryevna Lermontova.
Olga studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, took lessons at the drawing school of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts in Saint Petersburg, and was very fond of music. In addition to managing her household, she also managed the houses she owned and taught at a drawing school founded by her husband.
In 1869, Andrey Karelin’s workshop “Photography and Painting” opened its doors. Between 1873 and 1881, it was located on Osypnaya Street (now Piskunov Street), where the photographer’s family resided; nowadays, this building houses the Russian Museum of Photography. Nizhny Novgorod held a very special place in Karelin’s heart — it was there that his unique artistic style flourished and his famous works were created.
Karelin’s “indoor group photos” enjoyed the greatest success among his contemporaries. Breaking from the traditions of portrait photography, he turned portraits into well-thought-out genre compositions, connected with the everyday life of the people. In 1876, Karelin was awarded the title “Photographer of the Imperial Academy of Arts” for his achievements in photography.
