Бхил

1873

Solo Exhibition at the Crystal Palace

He mounted a solo exhibition of his Turkestan works at the Crystal Palace in London.

spring 1874

St. Petersburg Exhibition and Accusations of Anti-Patriotism

An exhibition was held in St. Petersburg, after which Vereshchagin was accused of anti-patriotism and sympathy for the enemy; Emperor Alexander II "expressed his displeasure very sharply."

1874

Refusal of the Title of Professor

The Imperial Academy of Arts conferred on Vereshchagin the title of professor, which the artist declined.

1874

Destruction of Three Paintings

He demonstratively destroyed three of his paintings — Forgotten, Surrounded — Pursued, and They Entered — upon learning that Alexander II had called them "a disgrace to the Russian army": he cut the canvases from their frames and burned them.

31 March 1874

Departure on His First Journey to India

He left St. Petersburg and traveled via Moscow, Odessa, Constantinople, Alexandria, and the Suez Canal to Bombay; in India the idea for two Indian series-"poems" was born.

December 1874

Darjeeling and Sikkim

Setting out for Sikkim in the Eastern Himalayas, he visited Darjeeling at an altitude of 2,000 meters, where he worked at a Buddhist monastery both outside and inside the temple.