“White Snowflakes” from Gentlemen of Fortune (1971)
This blog is about old postcards, book illustration, history and culture of Russia and the Soviet Union. I'm a long time collector, and this blog is 10 years old.
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Covers of sheet music published in the Soviet Union. “Florida, American dance” and “Arizona, one-step [tango]” (1928-1929)
Moscow, February 4, 1990. The most massive protest in the history of the Soviet Union. 300 thousand people marched from the Crimean Bridge along the Garden Ring and Gorky Street (now Tverskaya) to the 50th Anniversary of October Square (Manezhnaya). The main demand of the protesters was to abolish Article 6 of the USSR Constitution that declared the leading role of the Communist Party.
August 9 is Tove Jansson’s birthday! The first photo here is the first of her books ever published in the Soviet Union (Moomins and the Comet Chase). The second photo shows all of her books published in the USSR. Most of her works were published in 1991-1992 - after the Soviet era.
You can find a comprehensive list of all Jansson’s book published in Russian here.
“Music on the Bone” (музыка на костях) was one of the many ways the man fought the system. While a lot of music (especially Western music) was banned in the Soviet Union, bootleggers made illegal records using x-ray film.
These pictures are from the exhibition I visited in St Petersburg. I loved the recreated bootlegger’s room!
Exhibition curated by X-Ray Audio
Visit the USSR in Winter. Soviet INTURIST poster (1950s)
(Inturist was an organization that invited and assisted foreign tourists in the USSR.)
Holiday cartoons from Soviet Union - my top 5
“The Last Year’s Snow Was Falling” (1983)
This one is a legend. Packed with phrases that every Russian person recognizes in a conversation. I watch it religiously every year on December 31. I pretty much know it by heart, but I still enjoy watching it! Voiced by the amazing Stanislav Sadalsky. Great music too!
(«Уж послала так послала!» «А вот это мой размерчик.» «Ох уж эти сказочки! Ох уж эти сказочники…»)
(Watch with English subtitles here)
“Father Frost and Summer” (1969)
It’s sooo cute! And those songs! Love love love it.
(LQ quality but with English subtitles)
“Winter in Prostokvashino” (1984)
Another classic cartoon - the third installment in the story of the little village called Prostokvashino. Check out the Christmas tree decorated in attic-found vintage. :)
(«Фиг вам называется!»)
(with English subtitles)
“The Nutcracker” (1973)
I remember watching this as a child and being mesmerized with the music. It was long before I knew who Tchaikovsky was! And the scene when Nutcracker turns into boy gave me goose bumps.
This one needs no translation.
“Father Frost and Grey Wolf” (1978)
I mostly include this one for the song - «Тревога! Тревога! Волк унёс зайчат!» - which is an old joke between me and my sister. We watched this one a lot back in the day. :)
(with English subtitles)
Making this list has put me into holiday mood! :)
Elton John in the Soviet Union (May 1979) (via)
Bonus: Elton John: To Russia With Elton (Full DVD)
Tea packaging labels from the Soviet Union (1950s)
Teas were named after their locations: Tseylon tea, Indian tea, Georgian tea, Krasnodar tea (a city in the South of Russia), Azerbaijanian tea, Chinese tea. There was also the name of the tea packaging factory on the back of the pack.
(via)
Sheet music covers from 1925-1928 (Soviet Union).
Illustration by Kirill Ovchinnikov