«Русское платье» и «русский сарафан»: национальный костюм и репрезентации событий Отечественной войны 1812 года

Гуманитарные исследования в Восточной Сибири и на Дальнем Востоке. 2026. № 77. С. 22–30.

Mitina E.

The article is devoted to the practice of wearing national costume in the Russian Empire in the first third of the 19th century. Two types of the national costume are analyzed: the Russian dress (women's court dress) and stylized Russian costume with a sarafan. A tradition of using Russian court dress during the celebration of military victories was formed at the end of the 18th – beginning of the 19th centuries. At first glance, these practices, combined with the well-known surge in patriotic sentiment during the Patriotic War of 1812, should have led to a sharp increase in the popularity of Russian costume, including in court circles. The situation, however, was significantly more complex. On the one hand, stylized Russian costumes with a sarafan were actively used during celebrations marking the end of the war and organized by noble societies, serving as a marker of patriotic sentiment. On the other hand, in 1812, Russian dresses were not particularly popular at the imperial court, they were practically never worn at services commemorating the battles of that period or during the ceremonial events marking the end of the war. Instead, ladies were required to wear clothing in keeping with European fashion. The author demonstrates that this discrepancy was no accident: the authorities deliberately distanced themselves from national styles in official rituals, favoring pan-European standards.

Keywords: Александр I, Patriotic war of 1812, Alexander I, Russian dress, русское платье, national costume, национальный костюм, русский придворный костюм, Отечественная война 1812 г., court dress

Publication based on the results of: War and Post-War Peace in the Russian Empire and the USSR (2025)