New East Digital Archive

Rose-tinted revolution: see everyday Soviet life in full colour

Rose-tinted revolution: see everyday Soviet life in full colour

13 February 2020

Tired of the same hipster swag in your Insta feed? Transport yourself to the sunny side of Soviet life with the archive photos of @fotoussr.

Set in a variety of urban and rural corners of the Soviet Union, @fotoussr celebrates the little joys, dreams, and routines that animated people’s daily lives.

Street portraits, images of market queues or young pioneer dances, and Soviet cinema behind-the-scenes shots, all recreate the atmosphere of the different Soviet eras, from the 1950s all the way to the 1980s (it’s a shame not all pictures have a date attached to them).

It’s particularly interesting to see so many women at work even as far back as the 1950s, whether in the lab, in gardens, or in shops.

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