UDC 391 Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS 17 Akademika Lavrentieva Ave., Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia E-mail: mf11@mail.ru The aim of the study is to analyze the iconographic, compositional, and stylistic features of zoomorphic images in women's needlework of the Russian old-timers of Western Siberia in the middle of the XIX - first half of the XX century. A comprehensive study of animal images in the embroidered and woven handicrafts of this region is carried out for the first time and allows us to identify the variety of types and types of ornamental compositions, to put forward hypotheses about their origin and functions in the traditional everyday culture of Siberians. The source is the materials collected by the author in the 1980s-1990s during ethnographic expeditions: women's needlework, kept by old masters as a memory of their youth or relatively young people as memorabilia about their grandmother or mother, mother-in-law; some of the towels belong to the category of memorial towels, i.e. distributed after the death of someone on the street. memory. Ethnographic materials show that the origins of animalistic images (horses, lions, dogs, hares, elephants, etc. When considering their role and meaning in needlework, it is necessary to take into account both early forms and late transformations, interethnic interactions, and the influence of urban culture. Introduction Generic or folk ideas, knowledge about the world around us, and technological skills passed down from generation to generation are essential for the survival and development of an ethnic group. Ethnic images, subjects, and favorite compositions of fine art are formed at various stages of the development of the worldview of the people and for this reason, as it has been repeatedly demonstrated by researchers, can serve as a full-fledged ethnographic source. Ornamental art (actually rhythmic series and plots based on the principles of symmetry) it corresponded to the whole style of life ... Read more