The photographs in this extraordinary book are the work of a previously unknown pioneer in early twentieth-century color photography, Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii -- commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II in 1909 to travel throughout the Russian empire taking photographs. Prokudin-Gorskii managed to bring out of Russia his collection of nearly 2000 glass-plate negatives. This book, produced with the cooperation of the National Archives and the Library of Congress, contains 120 of his finest color photographs -- including the only extant photo in color of Leo Tolstoy. Another 120 have been reproduced in sepia from black-and-white prints. "Photographs for the Tsar" is a landmark contribution to the history of photography. -- Provided by publisher.