The ship on the right in the picture can easily be identified as the Russian cruiser ASKOLD. She was unique in having 5 funnels. But the picture seems to show her with contrasting stripes of color amidships. There is no record that I now of showing ASKOLD ever received any such camouflage. So what is this? It appears to be a second ship that is camouflaged is located between the cruiser and the photographer, possibly alongside the ASKOLD. Notice that the stern of that ship extends behind where the cruiser would be expected to end. Her funnel is shorter than those of the ASKOLD, and appears even further aft. The ship on the left is a French cruiser. The one in the foreground has what appers to be a name in Russian (Cyrilic characters) on the bow. I have no other data. I don’t know the identity of the painted ship. I don’t know where, or when, the photo was taken. But it does pose a visual problem that could easily be interpreted incorrectly.
Wetherhorn 