I find great pleasure in looking at the faces of people from the days long gone. Reading the fine lines is like trying to map out the events that took place before we were even born — or were too far away from where it happened. Please enjoy a fine collection of the images below — some are just regular faces in the crowd, some were the mighty lot. Click on the pictures to see the larger images and as always — spread the word!

Queen of Belgium, Moscow 1962

Ho Chi Min, 1959, Moscow

Korean delegates, c 1960

Indian Delegates, c 1960

One of the oldest persons — Mahmud Eivasov from Azerbaijan, claiming to be 150 years old.

Semen Budenny, a prominent military commander, late 1960s

Poland Military band, 1954

A tour to the corn fields.

Related posts:

1. Photos of Moscow and Surroundings by Marc Riboud, 1960s
2. Photos of Moscow and Surroundings by Marc Riboud, 1960s
3. More pictures of Soviet Moscow 1960s by Mark Riboud

Let those people cross: respect the pedestrians

As the Soviet Union could possibly be named the country of propaganda, this array of fun educational posters only supports this notion — albeit this time in quite a positive sense. A Ukrainian authorship of the road rules and safety in a funky and engaging manner teaches drivers to give way to pedestrians, respect the zero tolerance limit, reminds of the school zone rules as well as the necessity to get the car checked regularly. Possibly kitschy, but it does get the message across. Enjoy!

School zone: be extra attentive!

Breaking the road rules affects everyone on the roads.

The sign is the boss.

Let the passengers off safely.

Keep it safe.

Do check the car’s fitness

Just a drop can catch up with you

Keep to your lane: swinging is dangerous.

Related posts:

1. The Patriotic Education in the USSR. Part One: the October Kids.
2. Good-Natured Humour Postcards from the 1950s
3. Viticulture of the Soviet Union in Old Ad Posters

Military Discharge Handmade Scrap Book and Comics Album

You’re in the army now

The compulsory two years of military service was a rite of passage for every Soviet guy. When one turned eighteen — unless for sickness or injury — it was time to be called in for the military life — two years in the barracks. The guys usually bonded well and during their spare time created so called “Discharge Albums” — like scrapbooks, they were full of photos, songs lyrics, quick notes from the buddies etc.

Slava Kurilov: Alone at Sea. An Unbelievable Way to Escape the Iron Curtain

The only person to escape the Iron Curtain by swimming.

By job he was an oceanographer, by heart he was a dreamer, by nationality he was a citizen of the planet Earth — in short, he was an extraordinary guy. Yet his personal file in the USSR was stamped as “not worthy of an exit visa” so he was not allowed to leave the country, even if it was for a holiday. So in December, 1974 he jumped a cruise boat “The Soviet Union” off the coast of the Philippines islands — and he swam to freedom.With no food or drink, no swimming equipment apart from flips and goggles, he swam to the shores about a hundred kilometers for three days — completely alone at sea.

A Rough Guide to Moscow from the Daughter of the American Embassador

Emlen Knight Davies, at the age of 20 (ish)

Joseph E. Davies was the second Ambassador to represent the United States in the Soviet Union in 1937–1938. His daughter, the twenty years old Emlen Knight Davies, took some pictures of the surroundings. These images, courtesy of her private collection, were on display in Moscow for the anniversary of the Spaso House — the official diplomatic residence.

So! What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

You will be quite a craftsman!

The Professional Orientation in the USSR meant, first and foremost, a process of advising the youth on the future career choices. A group of teachers and fresh graduates of a college would go to high schools to give talks to school kids in order to deliver the first hand information on vocational choices. Every occupation is regarded highly in the Soviet Union — well, this slogan turned out to be quite untruthful.

Moscow Winters, Fragments of the 20th Century.

1925. A private house on the bank of the Tarakanovka river

Here is a fine collection of images of Moscow winters, dating from 1920s till 1991. Sadly many places portrayed on these photographs are gone now, just like the Soviet Union itself, yet lest we forget.  Please read on to see the image of the first set of traffic lights in Moscow CBD in late 1930s, which was operated by a specially trained person; or the largest freshwater outdoor  swimming pool in the world -  as well as people, wooden houses, old boulevards covered with the virgin snow.

Labour Riots in Novocherkassk: Soviet ‘Tiananmen’

Meat, butter, pay rise!

Novocherkassk is a small town in the South of Russia, also known as the unofficial capital of the Cossacks, the Slavic military community. Unfortunately this town was the place of a huge tragedy, when in 1962 the civilian demonstration was opened fire on.

Russian Ice Cream In Winter — Bring It On!

The city of Khabarovsk, 1970.

In the USSR, the very first ice cream factory was opened in 1932 — when the Minister of Food Supply (if translated not too liberally) Anastas Mikoyan visited the United States of America and was so impressed with their ice cream, he decided that Russia needed something of the kind. So the ice cream making technology and equipment were imported and the ice cream supply to all and everybody began.

Novosibirsk: Then and Now.

The Communal Bridge, nowadays.

The unofficial capital of Siberia, the city of Novosibirsk was founded in 1893 with the initial population of only 8,000 people. By the time of the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917,  it grew to the population size of 80,000. The name, literally meaning New Siberian City, was adopted in 1926 — and since then, the town had become to grow and prosper.

The Fearsome Threesome – Lenin and His Lovebirds

Paris, city of love, brought them all together. A Russian movie of 1981.

The official history often misses a very important and interesting point in the course of the Russian Revolution – not everybody knows that Vladimir Lenin, a formidable mind behind the Great October Patriotic Revolution and the leader of all communists, had less than straightforward love life – apart from a wife, he had a mistress – and not only that, these two women knew each other and got on very well!

21+ Depressing Photos of Post-Revolutionary Russia by Arkady Shaikhet

Gymnasts. Red Square. 1924

When the new Soviet country was born, the people were promised a wonderful future under the socialism — just a few more years, the billboards boasted — and we’ll live in a glorious state. However the early days were more than gloomy: the  rundown economy, disoriented society, the reek of fear and uncertainty — and that clearly can be seen through the photos of a prominent Soviet photographer Arkady Shaikhet.

Related posts:

1. Best of Fall 2009
2. Soviet Brands: The Scent Of Communism. Part 1 of 2
3. From Admirals to Dictators: Prominent Soviets on the Cover of Time Magazine.

A Glance at the Soviet Lifestyle, Captured by Marc Riboud.

Museum, Moscow, 1960s

This is our third post devoted to Marc Riboud, an out­stand­ing French pho­tog­ra­pher, who trav­eled exten­sively through­out the Soviet Union.  His images cap­tured an array of every­day life episodes from the lives of the Soviet peo­ple.  Here is the first lot — and here is the second one. As always, click on the mag­ni­fy­ing glass icon to see the pho­tos in detail.

Soviet Cars: History of the Copy-and-Paste Industry — Part 3 of 3

Volga

A good example of how the ideas to make a new car were born is the story of the factory “Communar”. The Minister of Car Manufacturing made a call to the factory where designers thought over the scheme of a new Ukrainian car and literally said: “I heard you were going to make a spring suspension from the “Volkswagen” but I actually like the Italian Fiat-600”. Shortly the factory commenced the production of ZAZ-965 –nearly the exact copy of the Fiat.

Diamond Dog’s Run 4,000 miles long: David Bowie in the USSR.

Sightseeing in the USSR

Just like John Lennon or Elton John, in 1970s David Bowie was an iconic figure of the Western music scene. Nicknamed Chameleon of Pop for his flamboyant outfits, pale make up and eccentric tunes, David Bowie made a train tour of Russia, all the way from Vladivostok to Moscow, eighteen days in a sleeper.  Back in the days, when the Cold War was in its prime, getting a permission to look behind the Iron Curtain was an incredible phenomenon by itself. Well, did David  enjoy himself while in the USSR? Let’s see.

Dirty Dancing Soviet Style

Dancing in the Ural Mountains, by G. Sorokin.

Just like anywhere else in the world, the Soviet youngsters wanted to socialize, to listen to the music and to dance. The nightclubs were unheard of – anything of that kind would have been announced as promoting debauchery or morally wrong lifestyle habits. So the best one would hope for were the discotheques – the special dance occasions, organized by the officials on a weekly basis. They always had a designated supervisor – a school principal or a city council representative in charge.

Declassified: the Great and Powerful Stalin.

Smiley face.

Joseph Stalin was probably one of the most multifaceted, controversial and yet unknown persons in the course of the world history. In January 1943 Time magazine featured Stalin as the Person of the Year, saying:

The year 1942 was a year of blood and strength. The man whose name means steel in Russian, whose few words of English include the American expression “tough guy” was the man of 1942. Only Joseph Stalin fully knew how close Russia stood to defeat in 1942, and only Joseph Stalin fully knew how he brought Russia through.

The Great Patriotic War: the Villainous Hitler’s Plan or the Provokation?

In accordance with the official history the Second World War  (in Russia called ‘the Great Patriotic War’) was commenced on the Soviet territory by Germany: the treacherous attack on 22 June, 1941when they invaded into the USSR.  This official version of the Soviet Government is written in every history book.  At the same time there is numerous evidence of Stalin’s desire to start the war first with the intention similar to Hitler’s . And that is why there is the theory that Stalin provoked German aggression against the USSR.

BT-7 — High Speed Tank

Christian Dior in Moscow: a Fleeting Sense of Happiness

Girls just want to have fun!

The Khrushchev’s Thaw was to cover many aspects of the Soviet life, and fashion was  one of them. The decision to allow the Soviet fashion designers to learn off their French counterparts was made as high as at the government level, which implicitly put fashion above politics or international ideological regimes. The colour of the Soviet Union, a generic grey, was about to be mixed up with the motley and lithe palette of the French fashion.

Ethusiastic Photography from Soviet Russia, 1950s — 1960s.

Waiting for the play off.

Just a very pleasant collection of photos from a private family archive. All photos were taken in 1950s — 1960s, in the streets of Yaroslavl, a small town not far from Moscow. Simple things — outdoor sports, fishing, swimming, enjoying the music or spending time with the family — these 38 photos are relishing small pleasures and bringing a smile to a face.

The 50th Anniversary of the Soviet Union in Old American Mags

Life and Look on the 50th Anniversary of the USSR, 1967.

In 1967, when the USSR turned 5o, it was a big day for both the country and the world. The Soviet Union had made it through, despite everything — and the world now had to take it seriously. The Cold War, which was at its highest at the time, kept the USSR in the spotlight, too, so the media were more than interested in the young Russian country.  It really is a shame that the writing cannot be deciphered due to the low resolution of these scans. However, these images  convey the atmosphere of the times quite well — a wild yet sophisticated country in the eyes of the civilised world.

Picturing the Soviet Republics: Moldavia

Veterans by A. Simanovsky

No doubt photography was a popular art in the USSR. Here and below are pictures taken by the people all over the Soviet state of Moldavia. Today’s set based on the book called “Moldavian Art of photography”, Kishinev (recently renamed to Chisinau), 1985.

Related posts:

1. Best of Winter 2009–2010
2. Soviet Brands: The Scent Of Communism. Part 1 of 2
3. From Admirals to Dictators: Prominent Soviets on the Cover of Time Magazine.

Moscow, 1960s

This is our fourth post devoted to Marc Riboud, an out­stand­ing French pho­tog­ra­pher, who trav­eled exten­sively through­out the Soviet Union.  His images cap­tured an array of every­day life episodes from the lives of the Soviet peo­ple.  As always, click on the mag­ni­fy­ing glass icon to see the pho­tos in detail.

Please fol­low us on twit­ter and stay tuned.  Oh, and thanks for being such a wonderful crowd!

At the winter market. Moscow, 1960s

The old between the new. Moscow, 1960s

Presenting to the class. Moscow, 1960s

The one and only V.I. Lenin. Moscow, 1960s

I am the October’s leader! Communists forever. Moscow, 1960s

In the fields. Moscow, 1960s

At the factory. Moscow, 1960s

By the Moscow river. Moscow, 1960s

Y. Gagarin — glory of the Party! Moscow, 1960s

Related posts:

1. Photos of Moscow and Surroundings by Marc Riboud, 1960s
2. Photos of Moscow and Surroundings by Marc Riboud, 1960s
3. A Glance at the Soviet Lifestyle, Captured by Marc Riboud.

Screenshot of the game

It took us almost two weeks to get this done, but finally it’s here for you — the geography darts “How well you know the USSR”? The trivia would range from what the capital of the USSR was to the place which was called “the ice curtain” on the border of the US and Russia. There are 36 questions altogether, they vary in difficulty and pop in random order. You get to save your high score and compare it with other players including the USSR team. We had a trial run yesterday and so far the map has been viewed more than 17 000 times, and it’s still early!

Do switch to the FULL SCREEN MODE by clicking the square icon and then drag around — Russia is a big country, it helps a lot.

Re-tweet, let us know what you think — and thanks for being such a wonderful crowd. More to come — stay tuned!

No related posts.

Here’s our little something for your Monday — a compilation of Time magazine covers with a USSR focus, 1925 — 1991. The prominent Soviet and Russian politicians, government leaders, poets, composers, writers, philosophers, scientists, astronauts, dissidents, admirals and a few dictators — the list of 110 remarkable citizens of the Soviet Union; those who made the West cringe — or laugh for that matter.

The faces are certainly repetitive, yet some covers are a piece of art –this collage is worth a good look, so click on the flash bit below, zoom in and explore.

If you would like to learn more please do not hesitate to click the fancy carousel. Thanks for being with us.

Related posts:

1. Best of Winter 2009–2010
2. Best of Fall 2009
3. The Patriotic Education in USSR. Part 2 — Pioneers, Soviet Boy Scouts

A singing class, Moscow, 1960s

This is our third post devoted to Marc Riboud, an out­stand­ing French pho­tog­ra­pher, who trav­eled exten­sively through­out the Soviet Union.  His images cap­tured an array of every­day life episodes from the lives of the Soviet peo­ple.  Here is the first lot — and here is the second one. As always, click on the mag­ni­fy­ing glass icon to see the pho­tos in detail.

Please fol­low us on twit­ter and stay tuned.  Oh, and thanks for being such a wonderful crowd!

Museum, Moscow, 1960s

Moscow, 1960s

Moscow, 1960s

Moscow, 1960s

Moscow, 1960s

Moscow, 1960s

Moscow, 1960s

Moscow, 1960s

Moscow, 1960s

Moscow, 1960s

Moscow, 1960s

Tasty and Healthy Ice Cream, Moscow, 1960s

Olympic Games in Moscow, 1980

Related posts:

1. Photos of Moscow and Surroundings by Marc Riboud, 1960s
2. Photos of Moscow and Surroundings by Marc Riboud, 1960s
3. More pictures of Soviet Moscow 1960s by Mark Riboud

Fall’s Gifts / Rainy Day by A. Suprun from the book “Amateur Photography”, Kiev 1986

A small collection of photos from two photography books published in the 1980s in the USSR. All photographs from this set are by amateur photo artists from the republics of Ukraine (Amateur Photography, 1986) and Moldovia (Moldavian Artistic Photography, 1985). Please remember to click on the magnifying glass icon to see the full-size image.

Life by P. Balan

Red Flags by A. Lykov

The Elements by A. Lykov

The Window by A. Palamar

Graphics by P. Bodu

Again, if you need to clar­ify what is on the pho­tos — do not hes­i­tate to ques­tion. Many thanks to a Russian photographer Liubov Sautina for sending us these pictures. Please visit her Flickr page.

Just a quick recap on our availability via other resources. Here is us on twitter. Our RSS feed is here — realussr. The latest addition to our team is realussr facebook application — check it out! Soon we will have a featured authors’ page, with portraits and lifestories so you would be able to put a face to a name and also leave feedback. In short, stay tuned — there is so much more to come!

Related posts:

1. Picturing the Soviet Republics: Ukraine
2. Picturing the Soviet Republics: Moldavia
3. Experimental Soviet Homemade Photography

No doubt photography was a popular art in the USSR. Here and below are pictures taken by the people all over the Soviet state of Moldavia. Today’s set based on the book called “Moldavian Art of photography”, Kishinev (recently renamed to Chisinau), 1985.

Please do not forget clicking the lense icon to see full size images and please follow us on twitter.

Portrait of a Worker by M. Potyrnike

Optimist by V. Gaydash

Eyes by V. Bozhenko

Veterans by A. Simanovsky

Summer-83 by A. Gomonuk

Kickback by A. Grinko

Many thanks to a Russian photographer Liubov Sautina for keeping these fascinating pictures. Please visit her Flickr page.

If you would like to clar­ify what is on the pho­tos — do not hes­i­tate to ques­tion.

Related posts:

1. Picturing the Soviet Republics: Ukraine
2. Artistic Photography Shortly Before Perestroika
3. May, 1st: Soviet Labour Day.