This paper examines the portrait of Russia and the Russians presented in the columns of the major London newspapers during the rule of Alexander II (1855-81), when Russia was undergoing profound political and social change. It argues that despite the development of economic and political ties between the two countries the British press mainly presented a distorted picture of Russia. The brief visits of overseas correspondents, not speaking the language of the country, and looking mostly for cultural differences, failed to change the negative picture formed during the first half of the nineteenth century. Russia was still perceived as a semi-barbaric and despotic country and this image was conveyed in thousands of copies of the printed daily newspapers circulating all over Britain.
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