Ukrainian laborers around 1873. From left to right: Tadej Rylsky, William Berenstam, Volodymyr Antonovych, F. T. Panchenko, Borys Poznansky

These people personify the Ukrainian national revival of the second half of the 19th century, in particular the activities of the Kyiv community (Old community). They represent the phenomenon of culturalism - an intellectual and educational movement of the Ukrainian elite, which aimed to preserve and develop national identity in the face of imperial repressions (such as the Valuev Circular and the Ems Decree).