The King of Vodka (28 page)

Pyotr Petrovich Smirnov, the vodka king's eldest son. He ran the liquor business after his father died.
Source: M. Zolotarev.

Nikolay Petrovich Smirnov, Smirnov's second-eldest son. He is identified as a horse breeder in the photo, which appeared in a book on the subject in the early twentieth century.
Source: M. Zolotarev.

Vladimir Petrovich Smirnov, Smirnov's third-eldest son. He is identified as a horse breeder in the photo, which appeared in a book on the subject. After spending time in a Bolshevik prison, Vladimir fled Russia post-revolution and revived his father's business in Europe.
Source: M. Zolotarev.

Smirnov's showcase exhibit at the All-Russia Industrial and Art Exhibition of 1896 in Nizhniy Novgorod. Russian royalty praised Smirnov's display, which featured flashing liquor bottles in Russia's national colors.
Source: The fair's catalog of participants.

Aleksandra Petrovna Smirnova, Smirnov's youngest daughter. A beauty in her time, Aleksandra's correspondence with her lover was a valuable resource in re-creating the Smirnovs' lives.
Source: The widow of Vadim Borisovskiy, Aleksandra's son/M. Zolotarev.

Aleksey Petrovich Smirnov, Smirnov's youngest son, and his wife, Tatiana. Just nine years old when his father died, Aleksey had little to do with the vodka business.
Source: M. Zolotarev.

Sergey Petrovich Smirnov, Smirnov's fourth-eldest son. He broke from the family after Smirnov's death. A feud with his brothers over the vodka business and the distribution of his father's assets was the catalyst.
Source: M. Zolotarev.

Closing day at Smirnov's vodka factory after the state's vodka monopoly went into effect in Moscow in 1901. This photo ran in the local newspaper
. Source:
The Moscow Sheet.

Vladimir Smirnov's grand horse stables in Moscow. He was an avid horse breeder and actively participated in horse racing.
Source: M. Zolotarev.

Aleksandra Smirnova, Vladimir's second wife, with their only child, Vladimir.
Source: M. Zolotarev.

Smirnov family photo, date unknown. Vladimir is standing second from the left, his wife, Aleksandra, is standing on a swing. Pyotr Petrovich is standing third from the right.
Source: M. Zolotarev.

Eugeniya Smirnova, Pyotr Petrovich's wife. She remarried and fled Russia after the revolution, resettling in Nice, France.
Source: M. Zolotarev.