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The Russian Photography Collection is comprised of approximately 7,000 gelatin-silver photographs by the leading photographers and photojournalists working in Soviet Russia between the two World Wars. The collection was assembled as the Soviet Union tore itself apart leaving a tattered social fabric behind. Organized as a history of 20th century photography of the Soviet Union the collection focuses on the categories: Constructivism/Avant-Garde, Propaganda, Photo-Reportage, War Photography, and Socialist Realism which provide the most effective and complete view of one of the most incredible experiments in human history. General topics of the collection include: • Industrialization • Collectivization of Agriculture • Portraiture • Pictorialism • Architecture • Politics • Reconstruction of the City • Parades and Demonstrations • Preparation for War • The Second World War and its Aftermath Click Here to View Collection Inventory This collection of over 7000 photographs from the first half-century in Soviet Russia was collected by Howard Schickler and David Lafaille over a four year period beginning in 1989. Virtually all of the photographs were acquired in direct meetings with the descendants of the photographers or in some cases directly from the photographers themselves. These men and women were often in their 80’s or 90’s, living out their lives as forgotten pensioners. In most instances Schickler and Lafaille were the first Westerners to be allowed to view the families’ archives. Through direct research of Soviet photographic publications of the period, the collection was methodically curated and acquired. Each photograph was examined and collected with two imperatives in mind; it must be made with artistic integrity and it must be of historic significance. All of the photographs in this collection were printed by the photographers, and in most cases, titled, signed or stamped by the artist. It is perhaps the largest and most comprehensive collection of this subject in existence. The photographers included in this collection are virtually all of the well-known photographers of the early to mid twentieth century in the USSR. There are over 35 photographers represented, and about 25 of these have 80 prints or more, with very significant holdings (over 200 prints each) of the following: Max Alpert, Emanuel Evzerikhin, Simon Fridland, Yevgeny Khaldei, Boris Kudoyarov, Ivan Shagin, and Georgi Zelma. Selections from the collection have been exhibited at: Museum of Modern Art, New York Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal, Canada The Jewish Museum, New York Museum of Photographic Art, San Diego Museum of Fine Art, Santa Fe Museum of Fine Art, Tel Aviv, Israel The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Virginia And in numerous other University Galleries and Art Galleries Worldwide. Top of Page