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There’s nothing like a bit of contrast and historical perspective to make you reevaluate what's going on in the world now. Many people, especially those living in the West, still have very little understanding of what everyday life was like behind the Iron Curtain. That’s where the ‘Soviet Visuals’ social media project comes in. It collects and shares historical photos, propaganda posters, illustrations, and architectural images from the USSR in order to give people a better understanding of the Soviet and post-Soviet eras.

If you’re fans of history and old-timey photography, dear Pandas, then this is the article for you. Remember to upvote your fave pics as you scroll down. And if you grew up in the former USSR, let us know in the comments what life was really like back then. The good, the bad, the ugly—don’t skip out on the details.

Bored Panda spoke to the founder of the aesthetic time capsule that is the 'Soviet Visuals' project, Varia Bortsova. She was kind enough to answer our questions. "I always really enjoyed rummaging through old family VHS tapes and magazine cutouts, and starting a Twitter account became a way to share these findings with the world," she told us. "Over time, more and more people started to contribute their own visuals and it evolved into a real community. I started the project on my own but now have two awesome researchers on board who help source new archive content daily and process user submissions."

We were interested to hear Varia's thoughts about why 'Soviet Visuals' became so successful. "A couple of reasons, I think. Soviet Visuals content feeds an appetite for vintage aesthetics: from design, to fashion, to architecture, to music. A lot of what was produced behind the Iron Curtain was actually exceptionally creative (despite, or sometimes due to the various ideological constraints)," she said. Scroll down for the full interview.

More info: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | SovietVisuals.com | Shop | Book

#1

Post-Soviet Visual. Photo By Tatyana Rodionova

Post-Soviet Visual. Photo By Tatyana Rodionova

Soviet Visuals Report

"The stereotype tends to be that 'Soviet = gray,' but it is truly anything but, and going down the Soviet content rabbit hole can be a rewarding and addictive experience," Varia told Bored Panda.

"There is an infinite amount of humor and beauty to discover. And on a separate level, the historical propaganda visuals are highly topical in today's world—people make connections to what is happening today in politics, in international relations, in society... It's fascinating to look back and see certain parallels. For example, Soviet vaccine campaign posters have been a particular hit in recent months," she noted that history tends to repeat itself.

#2

“We Are Not Raising Our Sons For War!" Soviet Poster, 1957

“We Are Not Raising Our Sons For War!" Soviet Poster, 1957

Soviet Visuals Report

"Soviet Visuals is a time capsule of the past. It is most definitely not about promoting the Soviet regime or even justifying its existence. I think the overwhelming majority of our followers understand that. That said, someone on the internet will always feel insulted: in our case, the ratio of complaints is roughly 50/50 between 'you are not pro-Soviet enough' and 'you are not 'anti-Soviet enough'. For me, this means that we are in the right place," the founder of 'Soviet Visuals' explained a bit about the online community.

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Since launching the project, Varia has published a book, founded a small online store, and written up the entire history of 'Soviet Visuals.'

#4

Soviet Postcard, 1955

Soviet Postcard, 1955

Soviet Visuals Report

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ng avatar
N G
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Only the kitten on the left is Russian. The other one is his Czech mate

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#6

Belka The Space Dog Upon Returning From Her Cosmic Voyage. USSR, August 1960

Belka The Space Dog Upon Returning From Her Cosmic Voyage. USSR, August 1960

Soviet Visuals Report

The ‘Soviet Visuals’ project is very popular on Facebook, with over 824.7k followers waiting for the newest updates. The page has over a third of a million followers on Twitter, as well as a further quarter of a million on Instagram.

The brutalist architecture, avant-garde art, and quirky photos all draw in quite a crowd. The project has fans all over the world, including from inside the former USSR, as well as elsewhere. ‘Soviet Visuals’ calls itself the “internet's largest social archive of visuals from across the former USSR.”

#7

Pictures Of A Russian Meteorologist Who Spent 30 Years At An Arctic Meteorology Base. By Evgenia Arbugaeva

Pictures Of A Russian Meteorologist Who Spent 30 Years At An Arctic Meteorology Base. By Evgenia Arbugaeva

Soviet Visuals Report

#8

Children In Sleeping Bags Are Being Taken To Have Their Mid-Day Nap, 1930s, Ussr

Children In Sleeping Bags Are Being Taken To Have Their Mid-Day Nap, 1930s, Ussr

Soviet Visuals Report

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#9

"Down With CPSU". Soviet Punks During The August 1991 Coup In Moscow

"Down With CPSU". Soviet Punks During The August 1991 Coup In Moscow

Soviet Visuals Report

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Vorknkx
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And keep in mind that being a punk was pretty risky back in the Soviet days... so it took a lot of courage to dress like this.

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The Soviet Union has its roots in the 1917 Russian Revolution and the Russian Civil War. The USSR was formed in 1922 and was controlled, on all levels, by the Communist Party until eventually collapsing in 1991.

At the height of its power, the USSR encompassed 15 republics: Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Belorussia, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Anyone who’s opened up a history book likely knows the extent of repressions that many living in these republics faced on their way to independence. The USSR has a legacy of violence that cannot be erased.

#10

Soviet Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev Was In Space When The Soviet Union Fell Apart In 1991. Unable To Return Home, He Had To Stay In Space Until Further Notice. The Cosmonaut Eventually Returned Back To Earth After 10 Months In Orbit - To A Very Different Nation. Photo By Volkov/Tass

Soviet Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev Was In Space When The Soviet Union Fell Apart In 1991. Unable To Return Home, He Had To Stay In Space Until Further Notice. The Cosmonaut Eventually Returned Back To Earth After 10 Months In Orbit - To A Very Different Nation. Photo By Volkov/Tass

Soviet Visuals Report

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MiriPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good lord, how must that have felt... "stay in space until further notice" (or forever...?)

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#12

Post-Soviet Visual. "The Return" Painting By Georgy Kurasov, Russia, 2005

Post-Soviet Visual. "The Return" Painting By Georgy Kurasov, Russia, 2005

Soviet Visuals Report

TikTok star Alyssa, who lives in the US, but is half Russian and half Ukrainian explained to Bored Panda that many outsiders are awestruck by how direct Russians are in how they communicate.

“In my experience, Americans who visit Russia are surprised at how directly Russians communicate. Russians say what they mean and don’t go out of their way to cushion your feelings the way that Americans are trained to do. Russians tend to value ‘honesty’ over ‘niceness,'” she said, adding that one way to bridge any culture gap is through food. “Lots and lots of food. Burgers and borsch.”

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#13

Post-Soviet Visual. Meanwhile In The Moscow Metro

Post-Soviet Visual. Meanwhile In The Moscow Metro

Soviet Visuals Report

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Hannah Edwards
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They look amazing. If I wore this I’d be a thing of horror…..with broken ankles.

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#14

May Day Celebration. Photo By Ilya Pavlyuk, Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, 1968

May Day Celebration. Photo By Ilya Pavlyuk, Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, 1968

Soviet Visuals Report

#15

Soviet Linguist, Epigrapher And Ethnographer Yuri Knorozov, Who Is Particularly Renowned For The Pivotal Role His Research Played In The Decipherment Of The Maya Script, The Writing System Used By The Pre-Columbian Maya Civilization Of Mesoamerica, 1971

Soviet Linguist, Epigrapher And Ethnographer Yuri Knorozov, Who Is Particularly Renowned For The Pivotal Role His Research Played In The Decipherment Of The Maya Script, The Writing System Used By The Pre-Columbian Maya Civilization Of Mesoamerica, 1971

Soviet Visuals Report

Meanwhile, the moderators running the ‘A Normal Day in Russia’ subreddit shared with us that there is a constant challenge when it comes to stereotypes. Russian culture is often seen as one-dimensional in some parts of the world.

"We are trying to steer away from negative content and try to highlight the actual normal day in Russia, the beauty of the country, and the people who live there," they said.

"Russian people are direct, they will not hide their feelings and they will tell you what's on their mind, without sugarcoating. Yet, they will welcome you with open arms and treat you as part of the family.”

#16

Babies Sleep Well In The Air In A Light Frost. Nursery №155. Dzerzhinsky District Of Moscow. Photographer Dmitry Baltermantz. 1958

Babies Sleep Well In The Air In A Light Frost. Nursery №155. Dzerzhinsky District Of Moscow. Photographer Dmitry Baltermantz. 1958

Soviet Visuals Report

#17

"8 March-International Women's Day" Soviet Postcard, 1961

"8 March-International Women's Day" Soviet Postcard, 1961

Soviet Visuals Report

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Fat Harry
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Say what you want about the failings of the USSR, but you can't imagine the USA having a propaganda poster featuring positive images of black people in 1961.

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#18

Belka And Strelka, Soviet Space Dogs. Photo By Yuri Krivonosov, 1960

Belka And Strelka, Soviet Space Dogs. Photo By Yuri Krivonosov, 1960

Soviet Visuals Report

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Some internet users have an overly romantic, naive, and unrealistic view of what living in the Soviet era was like. "If we go back in time where socialism or communism were at their prime, we can see that the top of the head of the system was corrupted and that resulted with the fall of the system," Angel, the founder of 'Humans of Capitalism,' told Bored Panda previously.

In their view, developing technologies might bring about "automated communism where machines will produce, deliver, and take care of food supply, clothing, health."

#19

Soviet Swimmer Maria Havrish Congratulates Her Rival Elena Kovalenko, Who Defeated Her In The Breaststroke Competition At The Spartakiad Of The Peoples Of The USSR In Moscow, 1956

Soviet Swimmer Maria Havrish Congratulates Her Rival Elena Kovalenko, Who Defeated Her In The Breaststroke Competition At The Spartakiad Of The Peoples Of The USSR In Moscow, 1956

Soviet Visuals Report

#20

Kievskaya Metro Station. Photo By Dean Conger, Moscow, USSR, 1964

Kievskaya Metro Station. Photo By Dean Conger, Moscow, USSR, 1964

Soviet Visuals Report

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I Liquored On
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I will never forget the Moscow Metro. I rode it every day for a few weeks while visiting the city. Huge and beautiful.

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#21

Ice Swimmers In Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, 1960s

Ice Swimmers In Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, 1960s

Soviet Visuals Report

They said that this kind of mass automation could be an extension of what is happening right now and could lead to even more major layoffs.

“The idea of getting free food, water, health, clothing, is nice and, in reality, if we take a closer look at the current system we can see that more people are let off and replaced by machines. For example, we can see that McDonald's workers are fired and they have been replaced with machines that work on touch or by sound and they take orders, forward orders to the employees, etc." According to them, the main question to answer would be who would manage and maintain these automated processes.

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#22

Bread On Sale In A Supermarket. Photo By Chris Niedenthal, Sofia, People's Republic Of Bulgaria, 1985

Bread On Sale In A Supermarket. Photo By Chris Niedenthal, Sofia, People's Republic Of Bulgaria, 1985

Soviet Visuals Report

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Gaby Almodovar
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Propaganda photo. Never was so much bread in a market. Bread and other basic food, like milk, eggs, margarine and so on, was sold in ticket-systems on per person/quotas. People usually were staying hours in queue not just in USSR, but also in post-soviet countries, like Bulgaria.

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#23

The Remains Of A Concrete Apartment Building In Kirovsky, A Former Fisherman Village In Kamchatka Which Was Abandoned In 1964

The Remains Of A Concrete Apartment Building In Kirovsky, A Former Fisherman Village In Kamchatka Which Was Abandoned In 1964

Soviet Visuals Report

#24

Snow Drifts In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Photo By Yuri Sadovnikov, USSR, 1968

Snow Drifts In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Photo By Yuri Sadovnikov, USSR, 1968

Soviet Visuals Report

#25

"My Grandma With Her Classmates. Lori Region, Armenia, 1966-1967"

"My Grandma With Her Classmates. Lori Region, Armenia, 1966-1967"

Soviet Visuals Report

#27

Soviet Cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin And Gherman Titov In Their Flight Suits And Helmets, In A Bus Heading Toward The Vostok 1 Launch Site In Baykonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, USSR, On 12 April 1961. Gagarin Was Soon To Become Famous As The First Man In Space

Soviet Cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin And Gherman Titov In Their Flight Suits And Helmets, In A Bus Heading Toward The Vostok 1 Launch Site In Baykonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, USSR, On 12 April 1961. Gagarin Was Soon To Become Famous As The First Man In Space

Soviet Visuals Report

#28

Young Pioneers In Defense Drill. Photo By Viktor Bulla, Leningrad, USSR, 1937

Young Pioneers In Defense Drill. Photo By Viktor Bulla, Leningrad, USSR, 1937

Soviet Visuals Report

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#29

"Architect" Soviet Construction Kit For Children, 1980s

"Architect" Soviet Construction Kit For Children, 1980s

Soviet Visuals Report

#30

Boy Standing In Front Of Fallen Statue Of Lenin. Photo By Dario Mitidieri, Ethiopia, 1991

Boy Standing In Front Of Fallen Statue Of Lenin. Photo By Dario Mitidieri, Ethiopia, 1991

Soviet Visuals Report

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Hannah Edwards
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Apparently Ethiopia had a brief Marxist-Leninist government, in case you were wondering.

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#31

Leonid Brezhnev And Erich Honecker. Photo By Helmuth Lohmann, Berlin, GDR, 1979

Leonid Brezhnev And Erich Honecker. Photo By Helmuth Lohmann, Berlin, GDR, 1979

Soviet Visuals Report

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ShadowLand 🇨🇦
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For clarity: "The socialist fraternal kiss was a special form of greeting between socialist leaders. The act demonstrated the special connection that exists between socialist countries, consisting of an embrace, along with a series of three kisses on alternate cheeks. In rare cases, when the two leaders considered themselves exceptionally close, the kisses were given on the mouth rather than on the cheeks." Wikipedia

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#32

Dutch Fashion Models Sonja Bakker And Femke Van De Bosch In Moscow. Photo By Paul Huf, USSR 1965

Dutch Fashion Models Sonja Bakker And Femke Van De Bosch In Moscow. Photo By Paul Huf, USSR 1965

Soviet Visuals Report

#33

Baby Yoda Is Just Capitalist Cheburashka. May The 4th Be With You!

Baby Yoda Is Just Capitalist Cheburashka. May The 4th Be With You!

Soviet Visuals Report

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Panda Kicki
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, that.little guy was popular in Sweden in the 70-s. He had a crocodile buddy and they was called Drutten and Gena here.

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#34

Amanauz Hotel Abandoned During Construction, Dombay, USSR, 1985

Amanauz Hotel Abandoned During Construction, Dombay, USSR, 1985

Soviet Visuals Report

#35

Post-Soviet Visual. Fish Sellers In The Market Of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, March 1993

Post-Soviet Visual. Fish Sellers In The Market Of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, March 1993

Soviet Visuals Report

#36

Vacationers Sunbathing On The Coast Of The Gulf Of Riga In Jurmala. Photo By Yakov Berliner, Latvian SSR, 1975

Vacationers Sunbathing On The Coast Of The Gulf Of Riga In Jurmala. Photo By Yakov Berliner, Latvian SSR, 1975

Soviet Visuals Report

#37

Self-Made New Year Robot Costume, USSR, 1964

Self-Made New Year Robot Costume, USSR, 1964

Soviet Visuals Report

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#39

World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov (Right) Holds Demo Game At The Sports Festival Dedicated To The XVIII Komsomol Congress. Photo By Vladimir Rodionov, USSR, 24 April 1978

World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov (Right) Holds Demo Game At The Sports Festival Dedicated To The XVIII Komsomol Congress. Photo By Vladimir Rodionov, USSR, 24 April 1978

Soviet Visuals Report

#40

"The Face Of Imperialism" Soviet Belarusian Poster, 1967

"The Face Of Imperialism" Soviet Belarusian Poster, 1967

Soviet Visuals Report

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Alexandru Bucur
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's the surprising thing - the negative portraits of both communism and capitalism in each other's propaganda are bang on the money. The problem is always about hiding the inconvenient truths in your own ideology...

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Joshua Barajas
Community Member
3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have met Russians that are good people there's not a lot in Russia though the good ones that have hearts defected long ago or fled the conscription to avoid Putin's war I know there is good russianism I'm not discriminating against them but if they're letting their country be one of the last evil empires of our planet then they don't care for Russian either so don't get offended by what I'm saying you guys should have killed puto I mean putin a long time ago. Here's a good example when Russia goes into a country it's to conquer when we go to a country it's to liberate they go raise Russian flags we go and we raise that country's flags they're righteous political parties anyway but not any American flag is ever raised on contested foreign soil or in a non-alliance Nation. By the Russians cowardly stealing the blueprints to our nuclear weapon I say our because we developed it from scratch they would have never got it on their own they annoyingly destroyed the planet themselves included

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Joshua Barajas
Community Member
3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hate Russia and I don't just mean the USSR Bolshevik a******s evil evil people and I never use the word hate and I don't discriminate I'm not prejudice and my best friend is black LOL everyone says that when they try to claim to be a non racist but I'm serious note Russia is very very evil Nation and I don't just mean Putin because all it takes for evil to triumph is for a good man to do nothing now what does that tell you about Russia everyone sees the evil that they're doing the harm that they're causing the whole world with the famine that started in Ukraine due to their barbaric campaign and I can't believe that we were so blind and actually thought that they were a threat to us it's hilarious now the Russian military is so incompetent I don't know how they can even find the location to assemble on a map for sure half of the battalion is that Wendy's and the other half is that the Walmart parking lot that's how ignorant "in Soviet Russia voting is a scam it's like a pyramid schem

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EJN
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some truth to this in modern capitalism. Protect money. Let the people die.

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Note: this post originally had 120 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.