This beautiful photo of Palace Square in St. Petersburg, was taken in 1854 by the Swiss photographer Ivan Bianchi (1811-1893)
Photography was still very much in its infancy at the time, but it is a splendid image, one which depicts three distinctive architectural landmarks of the historic square: the Alexander Column in the foreground; the spire of the Admiralty in the background; and the Winter Palace on the right.
Note the dark colour of the facade of the Winter Palace — under Emperor Nicholas I in 1837, it was painted a dull red, which it remained through the revolution and early Soviet period.
The photograph was taken from the General Staff Building, the view has remained virtually unchanged to the present day!
