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Daughter Finds Box With 30,000 Never-Before-Seen Negatives In Attic, Her Jaw Drops When She Develops Them
Some artists don't live long enough to experience the recognition they get. Masha Ivashintsova was one of them. This Russian artist and theater critic had been heavily engaged in the Leningrad (now, Saint Petersburg) poetic and photography underground movement of the 1960−80s. Masha loved photography art as it always took a major role in her mysterious and painful life. However, she always kept her black and white photos hidden in her attic, never showing them even to her family. Until now.
Recently, her daughter Asya Ivashintsova-Melkumyan was going through her stuff and found a stunning collection of more than 30,000 vintage photos. After deciding to develop these photos, Asya was shocked to discover how well these interesting photos portrayed her mother’s life and the essence of everyday life in Russia.
“Of course, I knew that my mother was taking pictures all along. What was striking is that she never shared her beautiful photos with anyone, not even her family.” - Asya said of her mother's work. “She hoarded her photo-films in the attic and rarely developed them, so nobody was ever able to appreciate the fruits of her passion. Those same films remained in the attic of our house in Pushkin, Saint Petersburg, where she originally kept them, after her death in 2000.”
The darker period of Masha’s life took place in a USSR mental hospital. There, she was gradually broken by being forced to take drugs. The Soviet Russian Regime was aiming to 'standardize' people, to make them live by the Communist rules. This dehumanizing control system had a huge impact on Masha. It is also evident in her work. As her daughter says, "Masha had a difficult relationship with communism. She was eventually bulldozed by the party and committed to a mental hospital against her will for her «social sponging» as she could never assimilate to the all-encompassing, shouting world of socialist excitement."
Some people have already called Masha the 'Russian Vivian Maier.' Scroll down to check these stunning old photos and let us know if you agree with the nickname.
More info: mashaivashintsova.com (h/t demilked)
Meet, Masha Ivashintsova (1942−2000), a woman who was hiding about 30,000 photos she took in the USSR
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Leningrad, USSR, 1977
kathryn stretton 7 years ago
Have seen all of these pictures, and have come back to the first, just to say that I am so touched by the story, and these pictures, and how I think I am changed today, for the better. Thanks. Night night x
Cee Viloria 7 years ago
This picture in particular looks like it was taken yesterday rather than 40 years ago. Makes me feel nostalgic.
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RELATED:
#2
Marta, Leningrad, USSR, 1978
#3
A Portrait Photo Of Asya In 1978
#4
Inside The Building
#5
Asya And Her Dog Marta, Leningrad, USSR, 1980
kathryn stretton 7 years ago
Sorry. I am upvoting every single photo on this thread. Can't help it. The STORY !!!! Sorry for shouting.
Andi Sobek Cohen 7 years ago
There's commentary along with the photos here: http://mashaivashintsova.com/home
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#6
Two Girls In Vologda, USSR, 1979
#7
A Ruined Statue Of Stalin In Leningrad, USSR, 1978
Bored Fox 7 years ago
Here in Finland we have a joke that someone should bring all the useless Lenin statues from Russia to Finland because he really looked like one of our beloved comedians, Spede Pasanen. But we don't need the Stalin statues because he does not look like any of our comedians. :)
Gayle Bynum Cardosa 7 years ago
Dear Bored Panda. Please consider putting in a random chat/room/message board. I like to know that you're from Finland. At some point I wish everyone would post where they're from. Sorry to hijack but I'd really enjoy talking to people here.
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#8
Melvar Melkumyan, Moscow, USSR, 1979
TheRubyFalcon 7 years ago
"I told you to never sneak up on me with that blasted thing!"
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#9
Melvar Melkumyan With His And Mahsa’s Only Daughter, Asya, Moscow, USSR, 1976
Wendy J Shores 7 years ago
So nice to see so many healthy birch trees! The rest of the pic is awesome as well.
#10
Linguist Melvar Melkumyan, Husband And Father, Leningrad, USSR, 1976
Linda Snyder 7 years ago
Holding those flowers, he could've been at Woodstock!
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Sally Wakasugi 7 years ago
His hair and beard all blend together giving the impression he’s a human lion.
#11
Leningrad, USSR, 1975
P Piorecki 7 years ago
If I didn't know it any better, I would have thought this was St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Interesting...
Susanna Vesna 7 years ago
They dont look like each other at all..not even close
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Rob H 7 years ago
This is St Issacs I took a photo of the angels on the corner( you see them in the photo) years ago https://flic.kr/p/6o9sM6
#12
The Banks Of The Neva River In Leningrad, 1979
#13
Street Portrait In St. Petersburg, 1976
Zori the degu 7 years ago
The person on the right vividly resembles somebody I know but I'm not sure who.
DancingToMyself 7 years ago
I have the same feeling for this gentleman on the left.
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#14
Melvar Melkumyan, Moscow, USSR, 1983
DancingToMyself 7 years ago
It's sooo cool when you add some light to the pic. And then, of course turn back to original.
#15
A Cosmonaut-Themed Playground In Leningrad
Caroline Allnutt 7 years ago
The building in the back is fascinating... empty, half-falling down.
Holly Hofmann 7 years ago
My elementary school playground had a similar play structure and I grew up in California in the early 80's . It was a metal rocket slide and so much fun was had on it!
#16
Orehovo, USSR, 1976
Carol Williams 7 years ago
The one in the tree isn't done yet...mwahahahahaaaa
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JanelleGallegos 7 years ago
But why isn't the doll wearing clothes and has no arms
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Lisa Chambers 7 years ago
Baby dolls in the trees...something I saw in New Orleans. Kid is cute.
#17
Tbilisi, 1989
SJM 7 years ago
Hmm he doesn't seem to be looking at at wife. Might just be me.
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Taryn Wallace 7 years ago
Answer: that was a trick question.... All liquid in Russia is alcohol they don't drink water like the weaklings (those who are not Russian) they only drink alcohol and occasionally the blood of Chuck Norris.... when they want to wind down
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S Bagci 7 years ago
Wow I grew up during the cold war and I was always told that Russians were nearly starving and had to stand in line all day for 1 loaf of bread. This pictures shows otherwise .......
Anete Evelone 7 years ago
This is already 1989, hardest times were after war and 50ties. Also in Soviet Uninon worst conditions where in occupied neighboring countries not the Russia itself
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Leningrad, USSR, 1977
#19
Leningrad, USSR, 1976
#20
Leningrad,USSR, 1975
Zori the degu 7 years ago
That building immediately reminded me of count Olaf's castle-like house. Pandas who have read "A series of unfortunate events" can relate.
#21
Boys
Dora Larson 7 years ago
*raises hand* pick me ohh pick me. Is it......? The middle one?
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#22
Leningrad, USSR, 1985
earringnut 7 years ago
for a country that refers to americans as "dogs" they sure seem to love them.
#23
Leningrad, USSR, 1981
Lynn Felgenhauer 7 years ago
This dog with the muzzle ears isn't clipped.
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#24
Pixie-Faced Boys In Staraya Russa
Carole Dose 7 years ago
During a visit to Russia, my sister told me to stop smiling when we were on the street. "Only crazy people smile on the street in Russia."
#25
Tbilisi, 1989
#26
Leningrad,USSR, 1978
Chicago Kitty 7 years ago
This photo is so poignant...the spirit of Christmas survived in secret.
Jeannine Pope 7 years ago
Probably still illegal to openly be Christian at this point in Russian life.
#27
Leningrad, USSR, 1976
Frank Muellersman 7 years ago
He is carrying a child. You can see it's foot by the top corner of the bag. But it does look like he is hugging someone. LOL
Susanna Vesna 7 years ago
The building behind in the background is called the "Book House", or House of The Book. It is still there and still sells books & stationary :)
#28
Masha Ivashintsova With Her Lover, Photographer Boris Smelov, Leningrad, USSR, 1974
Susanna Vesna 7 years ago
Oh so they broke up with Milvar :( She did have the same taste in men though :P
#29
Toy Store “Detsky Mir”, Dzerzhinsky Square, Moscow, USSR, 1983
Cheryl Thomas 7 years ago
You should have bern there in the late 1960s...
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Leningrad, USSR, 1978
Sree S 7 years ago
At first, I couldn't make a head or tail of it. 🤣 puns...
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#31
Leningrad, USSR, 1979
#32
Leningrad, USSR. 1978
#33
Masha’s Lover Viktor Krivulin, Novolukoml, Byelorussian Ssr, 1979
#34
Leningrad, USSR, 1983
#35
Moscow,USSR, 1978
Lotta Roos 7 years ago
I think this is Gum, a big departement store. When I was there they had purple and pink night gowns. They also sold fish in big ice blocks, you would buy a piece of the block and hope you would get good parts of fish. We as foreigners could go to special shops and pay with forreign currency.
Zori the degu 7 years ago
The text is perfectly sensible in Russian but downright funny in Bulgarian.
#36
Orehovo, USSR, 1976
DancingToMyself 7 years ago
"Orehovo" would mean "Nut's", if I'm not mistaken. "Oreh" means Nut.
#37
Leningrad,USSR, 1978
#38
Saint-Petersburg, Russia, 1994
#39
Portrait Of A Family Friend In 1974
Zori the degu 7 years ago
I noticed the other person in the shadow just now and nearly freaked out. Also, I've been in a similar room but the problem is that I can't remember where it could've been. I'm not sure if it had actually happened or my mind made it up. But every time I see a picture of a room with similar design, I remember being in an identical one, simply lying on a bed and starring at the ceiling. And that's one of those moments when I really start wondering if rebirth is really a thing.
DancingToMyself 7 years ago
I have very similar situation with some other stuff, which I can't explain. It started when I was very young, and it has nothing to do with those "Deja Vu moments". I was also thinking about reincarnation.
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Linda Harp 7 years ago
I think these could be dejavue moments or maybe its events that took around you when you were a baby and your official memories had not taken shape yet.
BREAK YOUr perceptions 7 years ago
thats actually really interesting that you say that. i was just looking at the lightbulbs in that lamp. the style of the bulbs i would think are wrong for that era.
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#40
Leningrad, USSR, 1975
#41
Leningrad, USSR, 1991
#42
Leningrad,USSR, 1970
DancingToMyself 7 years ago
So they are completely relaxed, sitting around like it's a spring time. And temperature is probably -15°C.
Wreathy 7 years ago
Or to quote Sam from the Night's Watch: 'It's a bit nippy'
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#43
Nevsky Prospekt, Leningrad, USSR, 1975
#44
Moscow, USSR, 1988
Zori the degu 7 years ago
"Drawing portraits. Price by bargain"(left sign), "10 minutes give you eternity"(highest sign), "For 10-15 minutes I'd draw you a portrait"(lower signs, left one) and "Psychological portrait". I just thought some of you who doesn't know the language might like to now what it reads. Not that I know it, it's just that Bulgarian and Russian have some words in common. I found the psychological portrait interesting. Apparently, the term is used only in Russia and some neighbour countries and is drawn in a way that captures the personality of the one drawn on it. Or at least, that's how I understand it, reading from Wikipedia. It's only written in 3-4 languages and I speak none of them.
Anne Howley 7 years ago
I bet the was taken on the Arbat street. It is a pedestrian street that was filled with artists and vendors. The "psychological portraits" might be caricatures.
Julie Turner 7 years ago
The artist is actually using his pencil to measure the lines of the sitters face, its a standard drawing practice
Load More Replies... #45
Moscow, USSR, 1988
Zori the degu 7 years ago
Yep. But what captured my attention where the two old gentlemen on the back row. I've seen many like them before. They haven't played themselves in years but they know every single position, every single move, every single tactic in the game.
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#47
Leningrad, USSR, 1977
JustABobcat 7 years ago
I just followed the link under the photo which leads, eventually, to a webpage that these are all hosted on by the daughter. On that page, I found that you can actually buy prints of these. The website is: http://mashaivashintsova.com/faq
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#48
Leningrad, USSR, 1978
#49
Arseny Tarkovsky, Leningrad, USSR, 1981
#50
Leningrad, USSR, 1974
Ryan Wilkins 7 years ago
First image where you can tell the sun is out in the USSR! These pics are all truly amazing.
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What do you think ?
Ray Heap 7 years ago
I think that if people in the west had seen pictures like these, of people just like themselves instead of being spoon fed the image of the big bad freedom hating evil commie bear who want to kill the good guys, the cold war would have been over much sooner.
Rafaella Bueno 7 years ago
That's what media manipulation can do. It controls the side of the story people see in order to create the idea of the "enemy" and us vs them so they can get the public to agree with or at least ignore terrible things.
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Ladies and Gentlemen 7 years ago
First thing came to my mind, have they uploaded 30,000 + Pics here on BP ???? Jeez.
Sayouri H 7 years ago
Also, how do they know the exact place where the pic has been taken... if it's just two girls with their mom on a couch.. I mean, dude. Seriously.
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stellermatt 7 years ago
incredible. imagine how many other images sit unseen? these should be in a book, they give a great insight into a certain time in history of just 'normal' people, if such a thing exists.
Zori the degu 7 years ago
I wrote a book about my experiences with family, friends and their funny stories. My book motto was that there's no such thing like "normal" person. Everyone's weird in their own way and basically, "weird" is actually normal(after all, everything was the Big Bang/Chaos/something else at the beginning. Whichever you chose to believe in, it would be chaotic or at least unexpected). For instance, I'm currently sitting here, on my computer chair along with my corgi and wondering how old all these people are (if they are still alive, of course :( ) and basically thinking how they could've been in terms of character, lifestyle, etc.
Load More Replies... Andi Sobek Cohen 7 years ago
There's more information here: http://mashaivashintsova.com/home Fascinating, beautiful, yet quite tragic.
Kevin Camp 7 years ago
For many people, the photograph is the end product, but often as not, for the photographer the photo is the after thought of the shoot. As a portrait and art photographer, the photoshoot is the true joy. Working with someone to make a beautiful image, to show someone who doubts themself the beauty that I see with my eyes is the greatest part of photography. The final image is often an after thought when the process of making the image is such a rich and rewarding experience. I have met so many truly wonderful and beautiful people, some who still to this day doubt their self worth, despite how beautifully they photograph.
Ray Heap 7 years ago
I think that if people in the west had seen pictures like these, of people just like themselves instead of being spoon fed the image of the big bad freedom hating evil commie bear who want to kill the good guys, the cold war would have been over much sooner.
Rafaella Bueno 7 years ago
That's what media manipulation can do. It controls the side of the story people see in order to create the idea of the "enemy" and us vs them so they can get the public to agree with or at least ignore terrible things.
Load More Replies... Ladies and Gentlemen 7 years ago
First thing came to my mind, have they uploaded 30,000 + Pics here on BP ???? Jeez.
Sayouri H 7 years ago
Also, how do they know the exact place where the pic has been taken... if it's just two girls with their mom on a couch.. I mean, dude. Seriously.
Load More Replies... stellermatt 7 years ago
incredible. imagine how many other images sit unseen? these should be in a book, they give a great insight into a certain time in history of just 'normal' people, if such a thing exists.
Zori the degu 7 years ago
I wrote a book about my experiences with family, friends and their funny stories. My book motto was that there's no such thing like "normal" person. Everyone's weird in their own way and basically, "weird" is actually normal(after all, everything was the Big Bang/Chaos/something else at the beginning. Whichever you chose to believe in, it would be chaotic or at least unexpected). For instance, I'm currently sitting here, on my computer chair along with my corgi and wondering how old all these people are (if they are still alive, of course :( ) and basically thinking how they could've been in terms of character, lifestyle, etc.
Load More Replies... Andi Sobek Cohen 7 years ago
There's more information here: http://mashaivashintsova.com/home Fascinating, beautiful, yet quite tragic.
Kevin Camp 7 years ago
For many people, the photograph is the end product, but often as not, for the photographer the photo is the after thought of the shoot. As a portrait and art photographer, the photoshoot is the true joy. Working with someone to make a beautiful image, to show someone who doubts themself the beauty that I see with my eyes is the greatest part of photography. The final image is often an after thought when the process of making the image is such a rich and rewarding experience. I have met so many truly wonderful and beautiful people, some who still to this day doubt their self worth, despite how beautifully they photograph.
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