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Golovnev A., Kisser T. Visual Ethnography by G. D. Verbov

A. Golovnev
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the RAS
St. Petersburg, Russia
ORCID: 0000-0002-5716-655X
E-mail: Andrei_golovnev@bk.ru  

 

T. Kisser
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the RAS
St. Petersburg, Russia
ORCID: 0000-0001-9246-2787
E-mail: tkisser@bk.ru  

 

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ABSTRACT. This article describes the visual methods of field ethnography used by the distinguished northern researcher G. D. Verbov (1909–1942) based on materials from his Trans-Nenets expedition of 1938–1939. The authors explore the role of visual techniques in ethnographic research, identifying the boundaries and transitions between verbal description and visualization in fieldwork. Drawing on archival materials from the MAE RAS, including over 200 drawings, sketches, and diagrams, as well as diaries and field notes, the authors analyze Verbov’s methodology: from field sketches to finished drawings in ink and watercolor. It is shown that the researcher systematically resorted to visualization in cases where verbal description proved insufficient — when capturing ornamentation, technological processes, spatial configurations of dwellings, sled and harness designs, and knot-tying techniques. Particular attention is given to Verbov’s work with ornament, where he formulates the task of “unraveling the geometric secret” of the pattern, using drawing as an analytical tool for identifying ethnocultural links and borrowings. The combined use of photography, drawing, and text is revealed, providing a multidimensional ethnographic document: the photograph captures the object in its natural context, the drawing reveals its structural features, and the text conveys functional and semantic information. Verbov’s legacy is presented as an example of the high visual culture of Soviet ethnography of the 1930s, where the image serves not as an illustration but as an independent source of scientific knowledge.

 

KEYWORDS: Northern peoples, visual ethnography, G. D. Verbov, ethnographic drawing, Nenets, ornament, photography, visualization

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8600-2026-1(31)-178-209
UDC 77.03:39

 

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