The name of the inventor, chemist, photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky (1863-1944) occupies a special place in the history of Russian color photography. Preserved part of his famous 'collection of attractions of the Russian Empire' is now stored in the Library of Congress.This is a kind of encyclopedia of irrevocably bygone era. Many monuments of the past, captured by the photographer, we can see only in his pictures. The author clearly traces the integral connection of these rare images with the history of our country. There are no already those crafts, customs, that way of life, and most importantly those people — living witnesses and participants of peaceful, military and pre-revolutionary events that occurred in the distant Russian Empire in the early XX century.The book is unique in that it provides detailed descriptions of images of the legendary pioneer of Russian color photography within the vast boundaries of pre-revolutionary Russia. The author clearly traces their integral connection with the history of our country.