The Collection
The SCRSS photo library holds some 60,000 photographs, slides
and realia covering all aspects of social and cultural life in
Russia and the former Soviet Union from pre-1917 to the present.
The collection is an invaluable visual resource for picture researchers,
set dressers, designers and drama students.
The SCRSS photo library was established in 1943, when Britain
and the Soviet Union were allies in the fight against Nazism.
The war produced a galaxy of brilliant Soviet war photographers
whose pictures were sent to the Society for use in exhibitions
and fund-raising events to support the war effort. In the post-war
years the photo library continued to receive a steady flow of
photographs from the Soviet Union on all aspects of Soviet life.
It grew further with the donation of two important photographic
collections covering the 1920s-30s: the Cicely Osmond Collection
and the Huntly Carter Collection.
The general photographic collection covers a wide range of themes.
It includes images of early collective agriculture, industry,
education (such as Makarenko's famous school for juvenile delinquents)
and daily life in the new Soviet state. There are photographic
records of key historical events and individuals - from the Russian
Revolution to the raising of the Red flag over the Reichstag in
1945 and the first moves into space. There is a wealth of material
on cultural life - from production photographs of the first performances
of Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk to portraits
of Anton Chekhov and his wife. Film, literature, ballet, Soviet
posters, the Tsarist period, sport, cities, regions and the republics
of the former Soviet Union are also all here.
Cicely Osmond Collection
The collection was
received in the late 1980s. It provides a detailed visual account
of everyday life in the Soviet Union during the 1920s-30s, with
particularly rich material on Soviet education and training.
Huntly Carter Collection
The collection includes photographs of Soviet avant-garde architecture,
theatre productions and theatre design.
Photographs in the photo library are predominantly black / white
prints. The collection is partially digitised. Digitisation is
ongoing, thanks to the financial support of Pushkin House Trust
and Unity Theatre Trust. However, the Society can scan images
on a case-by-case basis and provide publishers with low-resolution
thumbnails to aid selection, where appropriate.
The photo library is backed up by an excellent reference
library.
Terms and Conditions
Terms and conditions of use apply. Please contact the SCRSS
for details.
Visiting the Photo Library
Research in the photo library is by appointment only.
Please contact the SCRSS for further
information or to make an appointment.
Opening Hours
Monday - Friday, 10 - 1pm, 2 - 6pm
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