The lithograph from the picture was published in 1887 by A. A. Ilin’s cartographic establishment. The publication caused displeasure of the Tolstoy family, who considered it undesirable “to spread the picture depicting him in the most intimate, to him only life path.” On September 28, 1887, S. A. Tolstaya wrote about this to V. V. Stasov, expressing the wish of the family “that this drawing should not be put out to the public, not distributed and not sold.”
As a result of the correspondence of Tolstoy with V. V. Stasov, V. G. Chertkov, I. E. Repin, and N. N. Strakhov, L. N. Tolstoy allowed the Repin’s picture to be published in color: “… I see that I first I did wrong, – Tolstoy wrote to N. N. Strakhov on November 10, 1887. – The main thing is that in the name of these trifles I seemed to upset Repin, whom I value as much as you, and I love you sincerely. , tell him that I give up my refusal and regret very much if I get him something unpleasant. ” Graphic etudes for the paintings are in the State Tretyakov Gallery and the State Russian Museum.