Visualizing Totalitarian Ideology: Source Criticism of Soviet Photo Propaganda (1920s–1930s)

Abstract

The objective of the study is to analyze Soviet photography of the 1920s and 1930s, which was adjusted to achieve a propaganda effect. The research methodology is based on the historical-critical approach to the study of photographs and is built on a traditional two-stage analysis of sources: external (formal) and internal (using additional sources of information) criticism. The study also extensively uses methods of special historical disciplines, primarily iconology, which allows searching for hidden meanings and possible interpretations of images. Analysis of photographs of the studied period showed that the active use of various types of photo correction in the 1920s and 1930s was associated with the authorities' desire to exert cognitive influence on the public and censor visual data in the mass media.  An important aspect of the examination of Soviet photo propaganda was the identification of methods of visual manipulation with symbolic constructivist-style images of new buildings intended to exert a hidden influence on the viewer. An analysis of Soviet photographs of the 1920s and 1930s shows that the photographs contain connotative information hidden through staged scenes, retouching, photomontage, and “palming”. The main areas of adjustment to the content of photographic documents were: staged shots of successes in ‘“big constructions”, designed to demonstrate the scientific and technical achievements of the USSR and its ability to implement large-scale projects; retouching, which was often used to create a flawless image of party figures and “production leaders”; photo montage to increase the number of participants in significant political events; and “palming” to remove the undesirable people and objects from photos.