Soviet Ephemera

Posted on October 7, 2024 by Mike

Soviet-era postcard from the 1950s.

“Goodbye, bears, don’t be bored, dolls,
I have a blank notebook in my briefcase.
When I return from school, I will show you the letters,
I will teach you to read and write.”

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The Unseen USSR: Everyday life

Posted on June 30, 2024 by Mike

As I have previously noted, I have a modest collection of photos and ephemera from the former USSR that I enjoy sharing via this platform. The images below are from a collection of photographs that I purchased from a seller in Lithuania several years ago. Many of them appear to date from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s.

The above photo captures a candid scene in a field. I used an online tool to colorize this image, and I think it turned out incredibly well.

The picture above appears to be from a nationalities celebration. It was found in a batch of photos of schoolchildren in Young Pioneers outfits.

Classroom instruction in a Soviet school. The pin on the instructor’s blouse appears to be a Young Pioneers or Komsomol badge.

 

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Lenin at Humboldt University

Posted on May 13, 2024 by Mike

A friend who frequently visits Berlin recently shared this photo, which he took while on a nighttime walk. Pictured here is a stained glass window from the law library at Humboldt University that features the image of Vladimir Lenin. According to the Humboldt University website, the window is entitled “Lenin in Germany” and was designed by Frank Glaser. It was given to the library in 1968 to commemorate Lenin’s 1895 study visit.

“Lenin In Germany.” Photo by H.K., 2024

Further reading: “The Secret Lenin of Berlin” via Digital Cosmonaut

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The Unseen USSR: Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya Museum

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Mike

The images below are photos of the original Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya Museum in Petrishchevo. I acquired them from two different individuals at different times, but the photos appear to be from the same era. The original photos were in black and white, but after scanning them, I also ran them through a photo colorizer to see what these scenes might have looked like in real life.

Click on the photos to view larger images.

Original photo, dated 1957. The identity of the person in the photo is not known.

Colorized version of the original image

Undated photo.

Colorized version of the original image

In 2020, a new Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya Museum was opened. There has been some controversy about it, but it looks incredible in virtually every respect.

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