Lot Essay
In August 1878, Il'ia Repin lived with his family at Abramtsevo in the house of Savva Mamontov, and in a letter to V. Stasov on 7th August "It is very easy to live here, pleasant without being dull. The air is wonderful, and there are all sorts of entertainments, both physical and spiritual ... but most important, the villages are close by, where peasants, from young children to old men and women, do not try to avoid me and pose readily. I have already bit by bit made studies and drawings for some pictures".