USSR time pictures from the past.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Ko. Fe. Thanks for showing us your photos. The history of Russia has always fascinated me, as has Russian literature. I wish we would see more Russian photography today, but at least in the USA there is little being published or exhibited.

For those of you interested in Soviet photography, there are three great English-language books of Soviet photography that I have in my own library that I'd recommend.

The Soviet Image: Photographs from the TASS Archives

Faces of a Nation. Photographs by Dimitri Baldermants

Photo Manifesto. Contemporary Photography In The USSR

The first two are collections of photography from Russian photojournalists. The last is Soviet fine-art photography, mostly from the 1980s.

 

[ricnak]

These were photos of my dad. Taken on the farm they worked near Kiev in the 1930's. Not sure what they were taken with.

 

[Crazy Fedya]

This was taken with one of the Moskva cameras around 1960 in Dunayiv, near Lviv, Ukraine. It's my Grandparents, my Mom and my Aunt. I take it my Grandpa used a selftimer on this one.

 

[x-ray]

Great photos!
Excellent idea for a thread!

 

[farlymac]

I never owned an FSU camera until the last few years, but back in '75, I was able to get some photos of the Soviet fleet anchored off of Socotra Island with a Nikkormat FTn and 300mm lens. Who knows what box they are in now.

PF

 

[David Hughes]

Thanks everyone.

Seeing other places and people through other peoples' eyes is one of the best things about the internet. It makes you realise we are all pretty much the same...

Regards, David

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Thank you, Sam and Ricnak! Perfect examples of what this thread is about. Not just another link to elsewhere, but personal connection with the past shown by RFF members. 🙂

FED-2, I-26M, ORWO slide film. End of eighties. South of Russia, Delta of Volga River.
We are waiting for the bus to get us to the train back to home, but it is late.. Growing uncertainty among us.... But we made it 🙂

 

[Jean]

Here are a few more images.

Hi x-ray,

Picture 3 shows probably a street in Brussels - 'sarma' ('Société anonyme pour la revente d'articles en masse') was a well known store there.

Best,
Jean

 

[Fotohuis]

Wow, I really have to ask my wife. She is from Ukraine but did not save many photos from the past.

I just sent photos from my fathers and mothers life 1937-2007 to her son on DVD. I have (too) many, thousands, even from WW II in the Netherlands.

 

[jcb4718]

Another photo from my 1964 school trip to the USSR (from the UK). We visited a space museum and were shown this mock up of the Vostok space capsule. As I explained in my last post, I had a pretty basic camera but set the highest possible exposure (probably 1/60 at f4) and prepared to take the shot. One of my teachers approached and asked what I was doing. "Taking a photo sir". "It'll never come out, too dark!". To this day I remember that comment, and smile, every time I look at the photo! Next to the mock up was the actual (spherical) capsule which housed the cosmonaut and brought him back to earth. All brown and scorched!

 

[Dralowid]

These were photos of my dad. Taken on the farm they worked near Kiev in the 1930's. Not sure what they were taken with.

Great pictures but this one got my interest.

I may be wrong but the stationary engine on that bit of farm machinery looks like an early Petter. I would date it at very late '30s or maybe '40s. It was the sort of engine that appeared everywhere. Petters were British so either they were exporting or the Soviets were copying the design...or who knows, maybe they developed it first and the Brits copied it post war!

How do I know? This...
IMG_1540 by dralowid, on Flickr

Became this...
IMG_1600 by dralowid, on Flickr

A pass time I no longer practice.

Michael

 

[x-ray]

Hi x-ray,

Picture 3 shows probably a street in Brussels - 'sarma' ('Société anonyme pour la revente d'articles en masse') was a well known store there.

Best,
Jean

Thanks for the information. I know he was in Antwerp, Paris and London. My father restored phone communications during WWII in those cities. I know he was able to do a little travel also.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

My wife and mother-in-law had Smena-8m. It wasn't serving them well and only few negatives still left. Camera disappeared and two days ago I received another one as the gift.
This is from the my wife Smena. Svema negative taken in Foros Crimea circa 1986.
I printed it one week ago on Kentmere RC 8x10 paper.

 

[Crazy Fedya]

Nice photos everyone. I have a box of my grandfathers negative, that I have been trying to start scanning for the last several years. I have to get to it.

 

[bigeye]

Fedya, our folks were poles from Nahachiu/Nahachiv by the border near Lviv and the other side were poles from Kalynivshchyna, near Chortkiv. A couple of photos are left. Those that didn't leave before the war were marched to Krakow after the war or killed by the soviets.

Ford had a unique relationship with Stalin and sent a lot of Fordson tractors over, too.

 

[Out to Lunch]

On Flickr you'll find a lot work from the former Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic photographer, Ion Chibzii. I think his son continues to post his work.

 

[Crazy Fedya]

Bigeye,
Chortkiv is not that far from Dunayiv, where my Grandparents lived in the 50's, and where photo was taken. According to my Grandfather, Dunayiv was a small town before the war, and population was half Poles, half Ukrainians. I believe that was very common in those days in most of Western Ukraine. Due to Operation Wisla, done by Stalin, most Poles were moved to West of river San or Siberia, or disappeared, and most Ukrainians were moved east of River San, Siberia or disappeared. Very beautiful region. Definitely worth a visit.

 

[Crazy Fedya]

To make it even more interesting, Nahachiv is one town over from Drohomyshl, which is where my Grandmothers father was from. You can also see my Grandmother in the picture.
That area is also known for a Polish-Ukrainian mix, but with addition of Lemky, which is an ethnicity, that comes from that part of Ukraine/Poland. Most of them are living in Podkarpacie region of Poland these days.

 

[Crazy Fedya]

I believe, there are photos from Nahachiv area, taken by my Grandfather, as well.
His photos span from late 40's into the 90's. Earliest photos are of my Grandmother, when they started dating, I believe.