This traveling museum exhibit stopped at the NJ State Museum in Trenton, NJ from December 7, 1999 to April 16, 2000. We saw the exhibit on a Sunday in February, when parking is plentiful and free in state lots a couple of blocks east of the museum, adjacent to the Barracks Museum.

Tickets are $10.00 per person, purchased in the Auditorium "box office"-- a narrow doorway/window with a couple of people manning cash registers. After purchasing your ticket, you stand in line at the front desk, which gives you a sticker to attach to your clothing. A short film provides an overview of the exhibit and the history of Russian settlements and investments in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.

The actual exhibit is on the second floor in a section that can be locked. It is a relatively compact exhibit that takes about 45 minutes or so to peruse.

The various "treasures" range from the spectacular to the mundane. Certainly, it contains a wide variety of jewelry, dinnerware, and accoutrements of the various Russian Tsars. Of particular interest is an elaborately carved Russian sleigh used to tote Catherine the Great around.

At right, Silver sculpture: Peter I and his Botik. Model by Mark Antokolsky. Base by Falise, Paris, 1891-1896.

Wedding crowns are appropriately golden, tea sets and earrings are opulent and the paintings of various Tsars and scenes portray the idyllic life of royalty. Maps are displayed throughout, and chart the exploration of the New World.

As Russians interacted with Eskimos and other nations, the fusion of clothing styles is reflected in seal-fur priest robes and other ceremonial garb.

A minor nit is the small type used on information cards -- and the layout forces traffic jams as people strained forward to read. I suspect it had to do with security -- the museum has enough open areas throughout, but this particular section can be closed off and locked.

It was over all too quick and rather abruptly, you're dumped into a temporary gift shop. Like any other traveling exhibit, you get a taste of what the Russian museum must be like. It's a small taste, but if you enjoy a bit of royalty, and the link of Russia with Alaska, it's worth a visit.

We also availed ourselves of wandering through the rest of the museum. A special quilting exhibit by the Ebony Guild helped celebrate Black History Month. Of note is a quilt honoring the Tuskegee Airmen, with photos imprinted on some of the panels, and as the centerpiece a hand sewn P-51 Mustang (the original artwork was mounted adjacent to the quilt). Other quilts were a pageantry of light and color.

The natural history section is worth a walk through, the 19th Century furniture exhibit is airy and spacious, and the various painting and pottery offer some interest.

Leaving Trenton, we passed the refurbished Battle Monument commemorating the 1776 battle.

Getting to Trenton

Take I-95 to State Highway 29 South
Exit at Willow Street off State Highway 29. Circle the War Memorial and proceed into the parking lot adjacent to the Barracks Museum. (NOTE, during the week, parking in Trenton can be tight. There are several lots around the city).

Imperial Russia Pamphlet

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