The Samantha Smith Collection at
the Maine State Museum
The items pictured in this gallery were photographed in 2006 while the Samantha Smith Collection was located at the Maine State Library in Augusta, Maine. Along the samovar, the lacquered Palekh box and the photo albums that were presented to Samantha by Yuri Andropov's deputies, are many other items of interest. They are now preserved at the Maine State Museum.
From "The Journey to the Soviet Union" by Samantha Smith:
"There was a real Russian samovar, and a fancy teapot, and a lacquered box (a palech) that had a painting of Red Square on the top. The gifts were really beautiful and each one came with Mr. Andropov's actual calling card."
This Russian national costume was made especially for Samantha by the Moscow pioneers. The image later appeared on the cover of "Soviet Life" magazine.
"On our next to last day in Moscow, Madame Krouglova had a sort of farewell luncheon for us at the Friendship Society headquarters in a huge room with waiters and everything. I wore my folk costume with pearl headdress (called kokoshnik)."
