The Soviet Art of Photography

Farming, Herding, & Hunting

Farming, Armenia

A local farmer collecting cabbage. In the background, a dillapitated Apostolic church stands.(circa 1950s)

Belorussia

A 4,000 hectacre collective farm, with over 11,000 cattle. The Soviet Union had over 21,000 farms this size or larger, handeling both the domestic food market, and making enough surplus for copious exporting. (circa 1980s)

A proud farmer displays her bedroom. Note the branch on the sealing, and the grass on the floor — the traditional way of observing the pentecost. (circa 1980s)

A harvesting machine digs up partially decompossed vegtable matter, which is collected, dried, and used for fuel. (circa 1980s)

A collective farmer's personal garden. Collectivisation found that some types of farming produce, namely vegtables, were more efficient to produce on a small scale. (circa 1980s)

Kazhakstan

Workers use old-fashioned brooms to gather grain into a large pile for cleaning. (circa 1950s)

Miscellaneous

Workers on a collective farm break for a relaxed lunch. In the background, their DT-75M tractors rest. (circa 1980s)

Workers load grass, mixed with egg white, to make for good cattle feed. (circa 1980s)

Russia, Arkhangelsk

A Nenets collective herder tends to a reindeer. The collective farm he worked on held over 17,000 animals, and produced 350 tons of reindeer meat every year.(circa 1980s)

Russia, Dnieper-river

Fishing.(circa 1950s)

Russia, Siberia

A siberian comes home from good hunting in the Altai region. He shakes out the sable furs, while his comrade cleans fox skins. (circa 1980s)

A happy mongol worker of the Kosh-Agach region holds up a goat that he uses as breeding stock for its fleece.(circa 1980s)

Fishing on a frozen lake, these ice-fishers are on their sweet spot. (circa 1980s)

Ukraine

A cowboy smoking.(circa 1980s)

Transcription/Markup: Brian Baggins
Online Version: Soviet History Archive (marxists.org) 2001