Soviet Visuals Blog

November 24, 2021

Everyday Photos of Soviet Women

Women in the Soviet Union formally had equal rights with men. The reality however sometimes looked a little different. Soviet propaganda glorified a woman-mother, a woman-worker and comrade-in arms.

Miss KGB contest winner Yekaterina Mayorova, 1990

Welder Raya Moldovan working at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. Photo by Vsevolod Tarasevich, Ukrainian SSR, 1960s

People in a queue. Photo by Vladimir Vorobiev, Novokuznetsk, 1982

Fur hats ad from hard currency catalogue by Vneshposyltorg, 1967

Photo by Emmanuil Evzerikhin, Moscow, 1930s

Actress Dodo Chogovadze, still from "Aladdin and his Magic Lamp",1967

Moscow police lieutenant, criminal investigator Nina Demchenko at home. Photo by Yuri Abramochkin,1968

Novosibirsk ladies. Photo by Nathan Farb, 1977

Fashion model Tamara Vladimirtseva, 1969

Photo by Sergei Borisov,1989

Uzbek girl. Photo by Max Penson, 1930

Builder of Moscow metro,1930s

November 24, 2021

The Soviet Army: Posters, Paintings and Photographs

In the USSR, most men have completed compulsory military service. On the streets of Soviet cities, a person wearing military uniform was a natural part of the cityscape.

"23rd February 1919. Red Army is the Defender of Proletarian Revolution!" Soviet poster

Soviet military officer, Moscow, 1980

Abandoned Soviet army garrison in Vladimir region, Russia, 2010s

Soviet signal soldier Natalia Dorosh, Byelorussian SSR, 1973

"Soldier, keep your eyes open. The enemy is angry like a beast" Soviet poster, 1986

Officers of the Soviet Army in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. Photo by Ladislav Bielik, August 1968

"Red Army men with a prostitute" painting by Ivan Vladimirov, Soviet Russia, 1920s

Soviet border guards, 1970s

Soviet partisan girl. Photo by Arkady Shaikhet, USSR, 1942

Still from "Kalashnikov AK 47" Russian film directed by Konstantin Buslov, 2019

"Higher and higher!" Soviet poster, 1957

Soviet officer in Afghanistan, 1984

“Portrait of radio technician sergeant A. Zhukov” by Valery Kononov,1970s

Military parade on the Red Square, Moscow, USSR, 1962

"Our army is an army of liberation of workers. - J.Stalin" Soviet poster, 1939

K-222 Project 661 Anchar Soviet Navy's nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine, 1970s

"Modern Soviet Army" poster, 1972

"Soldier", 1973. Photo by Vladimir Vyatkin, USSR

"Soviet pilots are sentries of the peaceful sky" poster, 1986

Soviet Navy exercise. Photo by Valentin Khukhlaev, 1965

November 24, 2021

How Amazing Are These Soviet Vehicles?

The Soviet motor vehicle industry started with the establishment of large car manufacturing plants during the first five-year plan in 1928-1932. By the mid-50s, 54.2 thousand passenger cars and 313.6 thousand trucks were registered in the USSR. Most of the vehicles were state-owned. Before its dissolution, the USSR produced 2.1-2.3 million automobiles per year, and was world’s sixth largest automotive producer.

GAZ 24 Volga, 1980s

VNIIT-PT concept taxi van, 1964

"Kharkovchanka" all-terrain vehicle, meant to conquer the Arctic and the Antarctic in the 1950s

GAZ-M20 Pobeda Sport car prototype, 1951

"Buran" snowmobile, 1970s

Camel shaped propaganda vehicle, Soviet Central Asia, 1930s

PAZ-672 passenger bus, 1969

Moskvich 412 advertising poster, 1970s

BelAZ-540 heavy-duty dump truck prototype designed by Valentin Kobylinsky,1965

ZIL-49061 "Blue Bird" amphibious rescue vehicle, used for the recovery of Soyuz space crews, 1975

November 24, 2021

10 Fascinating Soviet Anti-Religion Campaign Posters

Following Karl Marx's idea of religion being 'the opium of the people', the USSR became the first state to have the elimination of religion as an ideological objective.

Scientific atheism was proclaimed the official policy, enforced by the state and encouraged by anti-religious propaganda.

We've collected some particularly interesting exhibits below...

1930s Soviet anti-religion illustration (artist unknown)

"Religion is poison! Protect the children!", 1930.

“Don’t be deceived by priests! Free yourself from the religious dope!”, 1933

"Religion is a brake for the five-year-plan.

Down with religious holidays.

All religions equally interfere with socialist construction.", 1930

"Do not believe in his meekness. He does not care about the soul. Such a Jehovah's witness is a traitor to the homeland, a spy!", 1962

"Religion is darkness!", 1963

"There Is No God!", 1975

“Women! Break away from the religious traps! Build socialism!”, 1930

"Servants of God ...", 1961

"The sacred duty of honest people is to save the the children from the darkness of the church", 1970s

November 24, 2021

10 Vivid Psychedelic Visuals From The USSR

The official technique of Soviet art was Socialist realism. Some artists chose to take a different route.

"Krugozor" (The Outlook) magazine cover, 1974

"Fantasia" cafe, Batumi, Georgian SSR, 1984

"IL86 is a new comfortable airbus" Aeroflot poster, 1980s

Still from "In the Blue Sea, In the White Foam" Soviet animation film, 1984

"New Planet" painting by Konstantin Yuon, 1921

"Tekhnika Molodezhi" (Technology for Youth) Soviet magazine, 1975

"Don't waste your life for alcohol" health poster, 1977

"In the Footsteps of the Bremen Town Musicians" vinyl album cover, 1973

"Solaris" film poster, 1972

"Soviet Cosmonauts on Mars" Palekh lacquer box, 1975

November 24, 2021

Soviet Money

Communism was defined as a stateless, classless and moneyless society, money has played an important role in the USSR since its creation. Circulation of foreign currency was strictly prohibited in the land of workers and peasants, and some illegal traders were sentenced to death for breaking the rules.

However, Soviet citizens working abroad received hard currency substitutes to be used in special limited access stores. The portrait of Vladimir Lenin has been depicted on many Soviet banknotes that often caused criticism for desacralizing the image of the leader, as money was perceived something filthy and despicable.

Poet Andrei Voznesensky published in 1967 a poem titled "Remove Lenin from the Money" which became very popular.

One Ruble silver coin, 1924

Twenty Five Thousand Rubles banknote, 1923

USSR Bank for Foreign Trade One Hundred Rubles travellers check, 1980s

20th Anniversary of the First Human Space Flight. Y.A.Gagarin. One Ruble coin, 1981

XXII Moscow Olympic Games Ten Rubles commemorative coin, 1980

One Ruble banknote, 1938

Vneshposyltorg Two Kopeks check, 1976

60th Anniversary of October Revolution One Ruble coin, 1977

USSR Bank for Foreign Trade Twenty Five Rubles check, 1970

Post-Soviet visual. Gena the Crocodile commemorative silver coin, 2020

Five Rubles banknote, 1925

Three Chervonets Banknote, 1937

Five Rubles test coin, 1958

50th Anniversary of October Revolution Ten Kopeks coin, 1967

Three Rubles banknote, 1961

USSR Bank for Foreign Trade checkbook for seamen, 1978

USSR Bank for Foreign Trade One Ruble Check, 1978

Post-Soviet visual. Kalashnikov commemorative coin set by Sberbank, Russia, 2019

The trial of Moscow currency dealers Yan Rokotov, Vladislav Faibishenko and Dmitry Yakovlev, 1961.

October 17, 2021

Mushrooms in the USSR

See all our Soviet mushroom-themed products here!

In the USSR, wild mushrooms were a much loved and affordable delicacy.

There were lots of ways to use them in meals: mushrooms were fried, baked, grilled, added as a filling for pastries and dumplings, marinated, salted and served as a snack to ice vodka.

"Edible and poisonous mushrooms" Soviet booklet, 1965

"Edible and poisonous mushrooms" Soviet booklet, 1965

Sometimes, rumours about poisoning would go around, but every mushroom picker knew the right method to distinguish safe mushrooms from poisonous ones.

1924 illustration from children’s magazine Murzilka.

"We are coming, we are coming - we’ll get rid of the the bourgeoisie” 1924 illustration from children’s magazine Murzilka.

Anthropomorphic mushrooms were the characters of Russian fairy tales.

"Tale of Mushrooms" booklet, 1924

In a famous 1991 televised hoax, Soviet musician Sergei Kuryokhin and reporter Sergei Sholokhov stated that Vladimir Lenin was a mushroom.

See all our Soviet mushroom-themed products here!