A large series of open letters with the maps of provinces and regions of the Russian Empire, issued by the Head Office of Publications "Russia" (St. Petersburg), appears to be a perfect educational material for the study of our country. In addition to the map the coat of arms of the province was depicted together with the brief statistical information about the population and geography of the province, which was preceded at the reverse side by the words of N.V. Gogol: "The ignorance of Russia itself is great" and Strindberg's words: "Know your Homeland". It should be noted that these postcards were published at the expense of H.E.M Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, the younger brother of the Emperor Nicholas II.
