Photographs from Russia, the Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe

Part I of A Research Guide to Photographs in the Hoover Institution Archives, Stanford University highlights 311 Russian and Soviet related collections with photographic material.

Each entry focuses on the photographic holdings of a collection and are linked to the published finding aids via the collection number. Where dates and places of death were missing in the cataloging records, the compilers attempted to provide them for the collectors or donors using online (OCLC authority files) and standard reference works, such as Nezabytye mogily.

American Relief Administration Russian Operational Records: Photographs relating to American relief in the Soviet Union following the Russian Civil War, and food and public health problems, agriculture, economic conditions, transportation and communications, and political and social developments, in the Soviet Union, circa 1921‒1923. Around 5,000 prints and 2,300 negatives of photographs taken by the ARA, arranged into categories and by geographic area thereunder. Of these prints, almost 3,000 have been digitized and are searchable in the digital collections at https://digitalcollections2.hoover.org

*Bazili, Nikolai (b. 1883‒d. Miami, FL, 1963) Collection: 278 prints, 90 negatives, and 12 glass negatives—excluding vault file photographs. The photograph file contains prints depicting N. A. Bazili, colleagues in the diplomatic service, members of the imperial family, Sergei D. Sazonov, General Mikhail Alekseev, and other people, places, and events associated with Bazili's life and work. There are also numerous prints and negatives of the artwork collected by Bazili and his wife, Lascelle.

Bennett, Milly (1897‒1960) Papers, 1915‒1960: Photographs relating to political conditions in China, social conditions in the Soviet Union, the Spanish Civil War, and journalism in the United States.

Carlisle, Olga Andreyev (b. Paris, 1930‒) Papers, 1901‒2016: Photographs relating to Russian literature and art and the Russian émigré community. Includes material on Viktor Chernov, Leonid Andreyev, Boris Pasternak and Aleksandr Solzhenit͡syn. Photograph album in box 48.

Faulstich, Edith M. (b. 1907‒d. New York, 1972) Collection, 1918‒1975: Diaries, letters, and reminiscences of members of the American Expeditionary Forces in Siberia, reports, notes, printed matter, and photographs, relating to American military activities in Siberia during the Russian Revolution. Circa 3900 photographic prints in 7 album and 15 envelopes.

Freeman, Joseph (b. Piratin, Poltawa, Ukraine, 1897‒d. New York City, 1965) Papers, 1904‒2009: Material relating to Freeman's life, the relation between communism and art and literature, and to communism in the United States, Mexico, and the Soviet Union. The photograph series, 1920‒1960, includes 914 prints, 31 postcards, and 22 slides. There is one album containing 149 prints depicting Joseph Freeman, his family, and friends

Lyons, Eugene (b. Uzlian, Russia, 1898‒d. New York City, 1985) Papers, 1919‒1981: Photographs and other materials relating primarily to conditions in the Soviet Union under communism, the international communist movement, and the career of Herbert Hoover. The photograph series contains 641 prints, 10 envelopes, 2 albums.

*Nicolaevsky, Boris I. (b. 1887‒d. Mountain View, CA, 1966) Collection, 1801‒1982: Relates to Karl Marx and the international socialist movement; the First, Second, Third and Fourth Intenationals; Russian revolutionary, anarchist and socialist movements, especially the Rossiiskaia sotsial- demokraticheskaia rabochaia partiia (RSDRP) and its Menshevik wing; the Partiia sotsialistov-revoliutsionerov (PSR); the Russian Revolution and Civil War; Russian politics and government in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; communism in the Soviet Union; Russian emigre politics; the Vlasov movement during World War II; and Russian displaced persons after World War II. Includes records of the RSDRP, the PSR, and other organizations; and papers of Rafail Abramovich, Pavel Aksel'rod, Viktor Chernov, Leon Trotsky, Iraklii TSereteli, and many others. Photograph series includes 533 prints, 172 negatives, 2 albums, 1 bas-relief, and 1 daguerréotype.

Okhrana Records, 1883‒1917: Photographs relating to activities of Russian revolutionists abroad. Collection is available on microfilm (509 reels). Digital copies of select records also available at https://digitalcollections.hoover.org.

Ratliff, Patty Collection, circa 1945‒1970: Photographs depicting political, social and economic conditions in the Soviet Union, 1945‒1970; includes a few earlier photographs. There are approximately 8,267 prints within 212 envelopes.

*Romanov family papers: Correspondence, memoirs, other writings, printed matter, photographs, and memorabilia relating to the Russian aristocracy and to Russian émigré affairs following the Russian Revolution. Photograph series has been microfilmed.

*Russian Pictorial Collection, 1887‒2005: Photographs, postcards, glass plates, and slides, depicting industrial, economic, cultural, religious, and military scenes in imperial Russia and the Soviet Union, scenes of daily life, scenes from notable historical events, especially the Russian Revolution, and prominent personalities from the tsarist and Soviet periods. Digital copies of select records also available at https://digitalcollections.hoover.org.

*Serebrennikov, Ivan I. (b. Znamenskii-Verkholenskii, Irkutsk, Siberia, 1882‒d. Tientsin, China, 1953) Papers, 1906‒1969: Material relating to the Russian Civil War in Siberia, Russian émigrés in the Far East, and Chinese history and culture. Also available on microfilm (33 reels). There are about 1,700 photos and postcards, 44 glass negatives, 29 albums, and 11 envelopes.

Siniavskii, Andrei (b. Moscow, 1925–d. Paris, 1997) Papers, 1906‒2011: Material relating to Russian literature, civil rights in the Soviet Union, political trials and conditions of political prisoners in the Soviet Union, and Russian émigré affairs. Includes records of the Russian-language Paris journal Sintaksis, published and edited by A. Sini͡avskiĭ and M. Rozanova. The photograph series, 1890s‒1993, includes prints depicting Andrei Siniavskii, his family, and associates; photographs of his trips to the Russian north; photographs related to his life in emigration, including honors received; and prints sent to Siniavskii or Sintaksis along with articles submitted for publication, arranged alphabetically by subject or name of collector.

*Struve, Gleb (b. St. Petersburg, 1898‒d. Berkeley, CA, 1985) Papers, 1810‒1998: Material relating to Russian literature and culture both in the Soviet Union and the emigration, political conditions in the Soviet Union, Soviet dissidents, and the Russian emigre community. Available on microfilm (265 reels). Circa 650 prints within 2 albums and 10 envelopes.

*Vrangel', Baronessa Mariia Dmitrievna (b. 1857‒d. 1944) Collection, 1915‒1944: Material relating to Russian émigré activities following the Russian Revolution and Civil War, including political, military, veterans', religious, educational, cultural, literary, artistic, and social activities. Includes a few papers of M. D. Vrangel' and 29 photograph albums. Also available on microfilm (49 reels). Digital copies of select records also available at https://digitalcollections.hoover.org. 

Wolfe, Bertram David (1896‒1977) Papers, 1903‒2000: Material relating to Marxism; the international communist movement; communism in the Soviet Union, the United States, and elsewhere; literature and art in the Soviet Union and in Mexico; and the Mexican artist Diego Rivera. Includes some papers of Rivera and papers of Ella Wolfe, wife of Bertram D. Wolfe.  The photograph series includes 807 prints, 9 drawings, 6 negatives, 3 color slides, and 4 glass plates across 35 envelopes. Digital copies of select records also available at https://digitalcollections.hoover.org.