In 1914, Finnish ethnographer and folk music researcher Armas Otto Väisänen visited the village of Veckanovo in the Samara province. At that time, he received a scholarship from the Finno-Ugric Society and traveled to Russia to collect Finnish folk melodies.

Väisänen encountered the residents of Veckanovo during mobilization, as World War I began and some men were heading to the front. The war seemed distant; the girls shyly looked away from the camera, while one man proudly displayed his luxurious felt boots. Everything still did not seem so frightening...

Someone colorized the first photo with a girl, and now her outfit invites a closer look. How colorful and unique they were.