Map of Russia Showing the Districts Affected by the Famine

Map of Russia Showing the Districts Affected by the Famine

Russian Famine of 1891

Is this map of famine across Russia in 1891 a telescope into the future of the 1892 cholera epidemic? Historians are not clear as to the role Russia's 1891 famine played in setting the stage for cholera. This map shows least affected famine areas as well as most affected areas. The most affected provinces are located immediately on the Volga River. It seems that these areas were so affected that the map maker broke from their convention used for the rest of the map of highlighting by province to focus on areas with either high or low effect. See east of Saratof as an example. Because the map compares "most" versus "least" affected regions, it is unclear as to what the unmarked sections of the map represent. Perhaps these areas had average amounts of famine, or possibly they had no famine at all. This map was published in a London newspaper entitled The Graphic on January 9, 1892, so it is likely a fair assumption that the data represented was referenced only from 1891 and before, and it did not account for any cholera destruction that would ensue in the summer of 1892. Another interesting thing to take note of is that most of the famine areas exist along the Volga River, but there are two notable exceptions: Tula and Ufa. Thus, this map makes it clear that famine was not restricted to areas that were affected by the weather, flooding, trade, and travel patterns of the Volga. This map was used as an illustration in an article that indicated it was “made on behalf of the Imperial Relief Organisation.” The article states, that “all Central and Eastern, and in a greater part of Southern Russia the distress is exceedingly serious.” This fascinating artifact gives us a glimpse into the famine-struck areas of a nation right before a large cholera outbreak.

Typo. Etching Co. Sc.

The Graphic

January 9, 1892

Imperial Relief Organization

Journal article image

English

Map Image

https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1mdq5o5/TN_cdi_proquest_miscellaneous_1693139329

Russia