Features of visual content in the illustrated supplement to the newspaper Nizhegorodskiy Listok (1912–1914)

New empirical material from a provincial publication - an illustrated supplement to the newspaper Nizhegorodskiy Listok (The Nizhny Novgorod Sheet) - is introduced into scholarly discourse. The aim of this article is to use this publication as a case study to identify the design features of pre-revolutionary provincial periodicals. The research employs the historical-typological method, as well as methods of complete overview and textual analysis. The subject of the study is the photographs and graphic images from the illustrated supplement to Nizhegorodskiy Listok. The interaction between the publication’s verbal and visual content is traced. Particular attention is paid to the interpretation of caricatures published under the signature “E. Ulan”. The article highlights several problems in studying the visual content of pre-revolutionary publications. First, there is a small number of scholarly works devoted to the design of pre-revolutionary provincial periodicals, which could otherwise serve as a methodological guide. Second, provincial illustrated publications are weakly represented in library collections and are poorly physically preserved. Among the analytical challenges is the difficulty of identifying the authorship and sources of graphic and photographic illustrations. Further difficulties arise from the frequent discrepancy between visual and verbal materials and the disrupted connection between word and image. The article also addresses problems associated with interpreting the satirical graphics of the past. In this regard, referring to the works of local historians becomes especially relevant. In the course of the study, the author concludes that the subject matter of photographs and graphic images in the supplement covered both global and national Russian events but was primarily focused on issues of local interest to the common reader in the city and province. Regarding the interaction between verbal and visual materials, the supplement to Nizhegorodskiy Listok was not an independent publication. Its issues typically illustrated the main edition, which itself was published with little to no visual content. The supplement’s visual material consisted mainly of photographs and, less frequently, graphic illustrations in the form of cartoons, caricatures, comics, and strips. Satirical graphics often functioned as independent journalistic materials, making them a unique source for studying the pre-revolutionary era. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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