14 Old Photographs of Everyday Life in Moscow and St. Petersburg during the 1910s

A small collection of interesting street photos of everyday life in Moscow and St.Petersburg from 1910s were taken by Andy Brill's grandfather during trips to England and Europe with the family.

Detail on the frozen Neva, St Petersburg, ca. 1910s

Memorial Church, St Petersburg, ca. 1910s

Peter the Great, St Petersburg, ca. 1910s

Nevsky Prospect, St Petersburg, ca. 1910s

Spassky Tower & St Catherines, Kremlin Moscow, ca. 1910s

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The World Festival of Youth and Students, Moscow, 1957

The 6th World Festival of Youth and Students was opened on July 28, 1957 in Moscow, Soviet Union. The festival attracted 34,000 people from 130 countries. This became possible after the political changes initiated by Nikita Khrushchev. It was the first World Festival of Youth and Students held in the Soviet Union.

The Khrushchev reforms, known as Khrushchev’s Thaw, resulted in some changes in the Soviet Union. Foreigners could come for a visit, and people were allowed to meet foreigners, albeit only in groups under supervision. Soviet foreign language students acted as interpreters.

Jazz musician Aleksey Kozlov had a chance to play with foreign musicians. The popular ensemble Druzhba from Leningrad became the winner of the First Prize in popular music, thanks to its lead singer, Edyta Piecha, the star of the 1950s who could sing in many languages. Edyta Piecha, Vladimir Troshin and international guests of the festival together performed the popular song Moscow Nights.

The festival’s sports program featured an athletics competition.

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Amazing Color Photographs Capture Dior Fashion Models in Moscow in 1959

During 1959, the Soviet Union officially allowed fashion shows, and stopped persecution of people in trendy clothes. That decision created a preferrable atmosphere and allowed Madame Suzanne Lulling, who was the Head of Dior Salon at the time to organize a fashion show in Moscow. The show took place in the House of Culture "Wings of the Soviets", decorated in the French tri-colors. There were 11,000 invitations for "défilé" which were sent only to the higher members of Communist party and to the Soviet elite.

As a part of the show and to allow regular people to have a look at the models in their beautiful outfits, the organisers arranged a walk through the center of Moscow. They visited Red Square, local markets, adjacent streets, and to an area that was the center of Soviet fashion, and one of the spots you had to visit while in Moscow. 3 out of 12 models took part in the walk, and Mr. Howard Sochurek (official photographer of the whole Dior event) was with them, ready to record all the amazing moments of the clashing cultures and fashions.

As Svetlana Smetanina of ‘Moscow News Weekly’ depicted: "After the Dior fashion show, ‘Pravda Daily’ wrote that some of the styles were too open and short, and that they would not look nice on women who are stout and of short stature. It was evidently taken for granted that the majority of Soviet women were stout and not tall. One of the Soviet magazines of those days described narrow skirts and spike-heeled shoes thus: "Bourgeois fashion makers come up with such styles that the woman has difficulty walking and must wrap herself around her man."

Djurdja Bartlett, fashion historian and researcher with the London College of Fashion, has a non-standard explanation for the Soviet system's strong aversion to European fashion. According to him, the shifting fashion trends unwittingly personified the times; it posed a threat to the system, which valued stability above all.

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28 Black and White Photographs Capture Daily Life in Moscow in 1941

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Old Pictures of the Great Flood in Moscow, 1908

One of the biggest floods of the Moscow river happened in April, 1908 when flowing water amounted to 2860 m3/s. The river and the drainage channel united in one corridor 1,5 km wide. 16km2 of the city territory was flooded.

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36 Fascinating Vintage Photographs Capture Street Scenes of Moscow in the 1920s

Life in Moscow back in the 1920s...

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30 Wonderful Color Photographs Captured Street Scenes of Moscow in 1984

Here's a collection of 30 wonderful color photographs that show what Moscow's daily life looks like in the mid-1980s...

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47 Rare Photographs of Moscow From the Late 19th Century

A collection of old photographs of Moscow from 1883-1884.

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Moscow Beauty ’88

The first Soviet beauty contest was the contest “Moscow Beauty-88,” and the first officially recognized by the national beauty became grader Masha Kalinina.

Final of “Moscow Beauty-88” was held in the Palace of Sports in the Luzhniki Stadium. The competition was held for three days.

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20 Amazing Black and White Photographs Capture Daily Life in Moscow from the Late 1920s to Early 1930s

A selection of pictures mostly dated the end of the 1920s – beginning of the 1930s. Many of the buildings on these photos have been demolished and the streets have considerably changed.

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