Moscow Art Theatre

The Moscow Art Theatre is generally considered the first modern theatre. Co-founded in 1897 by the director Konstantin Stanislavsky, the theatre moved away from the highly stylised, melodramatic approach of the nineteenth century toward a more realistic method of acting and production. Its first great success was its 1898 staging of Anton Checkhov’s play The Seagull.

In this 1899 photo, Checkhov looks directly into the camera, surrounded by the theatre ensemble. Stanislavsky (fourth from the left in the back row) is busily chatting up the ladies.