The decorations and illustrations in this book are meant to show
something of Ukrainian art.
The artistic instincts of the peasant women find satisfaction largely
in the working of embroidery, each district having its own
characteristic types of design.
One of Shevchenko’s favorite fancies was to compare his versification
to the work of the girls and women embroidering their designs on their
garments. He frequently speaks of himself as “embroidering verses.”
It is a favorite device of Ukrainian book-makers to decorate their
pages with miniature landscapes and little figures.
The frontispiece of the present work is a picture of Shevchenko in
youth from an original painted by himself. On page 129 we see him as he
looked after his return from exile.