Evening in the family of Manizers (both sculptors), photo by Mark Markov-Grinberg (Leningrad, 1940)
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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Soviet Union, 1940s
Photo by Georgiy Lipskerov
A tiny vintage book in the shape of a train and with Vladimir Mayakovsky’s poem “Whom Shall I Become?” quoted inside. Bits of the book cover are glow-in-the-dark. (Soviet Union, 1940s)
June 22, the day World War II started for the Soviet Union, is the Day of Remembrance and Mourning in Russia.
This is my grandfather, who just turned 17 at the time, 4 months after the war started. It’s a tiny photo that came to my posession a couple weekes ago, kindly passed on to me by my cousin twice removed during a big family gathering.
War is not parades. War is not showing it to someone. War is 17 year old boys wearing military uniform, killing and being killed. War is broken lives of an entire generation.
Never forget!
Помню. Скорблю.
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.
Set of 15 vintage stamps commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Soviet Union (1957)
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! :)
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.
Handlettered titles of Soviet movies from 1930s and 1940s
“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
Holiday decorated shop in Soviet Union