Sounds and Silences on the Neva Shores: US Diplomats about the Soundscape of Imperial St. Petersburg

Abstract

This article argues that multisensory approach to studying cultural communications and urban history yields productive results. Using memoirs, diaries, and letters penned by US diplomats, the author explores how records of their aural experiences help reconstruct a fuller picture of life in Imperial St. Petersburg and what new light they shed on the cultural communications between Americans and the population of the Tsar’s capital.