Arkady Shishkin, a Soviet master photographer, engaged in photography in the 1910s as an apprentice to the portrait
photographer N.M. Richter of Kazan. In 1928 Shishkin joined the “October” group of Leftist artists.
He was active till the 1980s and was especially renowned for his works celebrating Soviet villagers. He left behind
a poignant chronicle of the history of the Soviet countryside, recording the succession of generations and epochs.