[1] The first issue of Zhivopisnoe obozrenie stran sveta (Foreign lands' pictorial review), as it was originally called, came out on 15 December 1872, edited by the cartographer scholar Nikita Zuev.

The original Review, subtitled "Illustrated journal of travelling, expeditions, et cetera," featured mostly (translated, as well as original) articles on popular ethnography and geography, while focusing on high quality illustrations.

In 1875 it cut the natural sciences section to a minimum and became just 'Illustrated journal' with emphasis now on literature and poetry, featuring essays on serious art (Viktor Vasnetsov, Konstantin Makovsky, Ilya Repin, among others).

[1] Among the authors whose works appeared regularly in the magazine were Alexander Sheller-Mikhaylov, Yakov Polonsky, Konstantin Fofanov, Konstantin Balmont, Dmitry Mamin-Sibiryak, Vasily Nemirovich-Danchenko, Ignaty Potapenko and Fyodor Sologub.

Several translations of prominent foreign authors (Alphonse Daudet, Bret Harte, Anatole France among others) appeared in Zhivopisnoe obozrenie for the first time.