This paper considers the visual representations of Vladivostok through the analysis of archival photographic documents. The materials used for this research were a collection of Karl Johan Schultz’s (1849—1923) photographs, dedicated to the history of Vladivostok at the end of the 19th century, which are analyzed as a significant visual anthropological source. The conclusion is made that Schultz’s creation of photographic panoramic views and portraits of Vladivostok’s inhabitants constructs a new urban identity and demonstrate that Vladivostok was a unique frontier city in the Russian Empire.