Habit of a Russian Boor in 1768

by Thomas Jefferys

This 1768 engraving created by Thomas Jefferys gives an interesting yet ethnocentric view of the life of Russia in the eighteenth century. Created during the time when Catherine the Great was ruling, the illustration presents the "Habit of a Russian Boor," a word used to refer to peasants and laborers during those days.

"Boor," as shown in the illustrations, usually wears a rubakha (traditional shirt made of linen) along with a thick kaftan or shuba made of sheepskin. An identifying element for the peasants is the lapti, or bast shoes which are made of the bark of birch trees and linden trees.

The illustration represents the connection between the primitive nature of the East and the enlightened state of the West, with its rough materials of fur, felt, and the beard of the Russians.