Alexander Afanasyev (1826–1871) was a folklorist, a historian, a literary scholar, and an ethnographer. He was a member of several learned societies: the Society for Russian History and Antiquities at Moscow University, the Russian Geographical Society, the Moscow Archaeological Society, and the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature at Moscow University.
A. Afanasyev’s scientific and critical work began during his college years. His writings appeared in publications of Moscow University and the Academy of Sciences, as well as in the journals Biblioteka dlya Chteniya (Library for Reading), Filologicheskie Zapiski (Philological Proceedings), and Knizhny Vestnik (Books Bulletin), as well as the Moskovskie Novosti (Moscow News) newspaper, and others.
In the 1850s, A. Afanasyev began studying and publishing Russian folklore. His collections were based on texts collected by V. Dal’ and P. Yakushkin, which they had submitted to the Russian Geographical Society; fairy tales recorded by the folklorist himself or passed on to him by members of the Vtorov Circle. This collection of folk tales brought him widespread fame. The collections were reprinted many times and translated into foreign languages.
The main illustration shows a portrait of A. Afanasiev against a Russian village and the RGO logo; the commemorative stamp features images that symbolically represent geographical projects.
Illustrative material provides by the RGS
| Denomination |
Paper |
Printing method |
Format of the postal card |
Edition |
| Letter “B” |
Chalk surfaced |
Offset |
105 × 148 mm |
4.5 thousand postcards |