Vladimir Makovsky
*“At a Rural School,”* 1883

A wooden hut serves as a classroom, where children of different ages learn together under the guidance of two teachers. With kerosene too expensive to use, lessons took place only during the day, and there was no homework. The pupils’ clean, festive clothes reflect how much education meant to poor families. The foliage visible through the doorway suggests that the school year begins in September.

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