Russia Leather
Preserved but no longer current.
A fine leather of a smooth tex- ture, originally produced in Russia. It is the result of tanning and dyeing (usually of a red colour) by a particular process and the dis- tinctive smell comes from the distillation of birch bark used in the manufacture.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Russia Leather” mean?
A fine leather of a smooth tex- ture, originally produced in Russia. It is the result of tanning and dyeing (usually of a red colour) by a particular process and the dis- tinctive smell comes from the distillation of birch bark used in the manufacture.
Is “Russia Leather” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.