Vasily Perov has many well-known and vivid works, but among them, the painting "Troika" from 1866 holds a special place. The story of its creation is unique and full of tragedy. At that time, Perov intended to create a canvas on a social and everyday theme, aiming to depict the hard and joyless life of peasant children. Thus, the plot of this famous painting emerged. Although Perov quickly found models, there was no suitable person for the central figure. However, fate intervened.

One day, the artist noticed a peasant woman on the street with a son who was perfect for the image of a serf boy. Perov persuaded the woman to let her son pose. During the process, it turned out that the boy's name was Vasya, he was the only surviving child in the family, and great hopes were placed on him. After finishing the work, Perov generously paid the model and said goodbye. The painting turned out to be very expressive. The exhausted faces of the children show how hard it is for them to drag a heavy barrel of water in the frost. The gloomy tones enhance the tragedy of their labor. Tretyakov highly appreciated the painting and acquired it for his gallery. But then something terrible happened.

A few years later, a woman came to Perov, claiming that he had painted her son Vasya. The artist remembered "Troika." The peasant woman begged to sell the painting, offering any amount of money, as Vasya had died, and the canvas remained the only reminder of him. But Perov could not return the painting, as it belonged to Tretyakov. Then he took the woman to the gallery. Seeing her son in the painting, she fell to her knees and cried. Perov, touched by her grief, painted a portrait of the boy for free and gifted it to the peasant woman. Such is the dramatic story of "Troika."