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Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

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These fascinating nostalgic photographs show everyday life in the Soviet Union. Despite the threat of nuclear annihilation, political issues, looming cold war, and other difficulties of life, these photos capture happiness, peace, moments in time so fleeting that they’re gone as quickly as they arrive.

Semyon Osipovich Friedland captured these photographs in the 1950s. He was a soviet photographer from Kyiv. Friedland began his career as a journalist but then left the profession because of the censorship. In 1932 he graduated from the photography department of the State Institute of Cinematography. In 1950 Friedland worked as an editor-in-chief for the photography department of the famous “Ogonyok” (Russian: Огонёк, lit. “little flame”), which is one of the oldest weekly illustrated magazines in USSR and is published even today in Russia.

#1 Kindergarten in Ukrainian SSR (on the left)

Kindergarten in Ukrainian SSR (on the left)

16 Points

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#2 Near the city of Kislovodsk, 1950s

Near the city of Kislovodsk, 1950s

10 Points

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#3 Arkhangelsk, 1950s

Arkhangelsk, 1950s

7 Points

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#4 Nizhny Novgorod, 1950s

Nizhny Novgorod, 1950s

7 Points

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#5 Orphanage, Ukrainian SSR, 1950s

Orphanage, Ukrainian SSR, 1950s

6 Points

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#6 Nursery, Ukrainian SSR, 1950s

Nursery, Ukrainian SSR, 1950s

6 Points

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#7 Nizhny Novgorod, 1950s

Nizhny Novgorod, 1950s

6 Points

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#8 Moscow Oblast (left) / Ukrainian SSR (right)

Moscow Oblast (left) / Ukrainian SSR (right)

6 Points

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#9 Pärnu, Estonian SSR

Pärnu, Estonian SSR

6 Points

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#10 Ukrainian SSR, 1950s

Ukrainian SSR, 1950s

5 Points

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#11 River port in Kazan (on the left) / Kiev (on the right)

River port in Kazan (on the left) / Kiev (on the right)

5 Points

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#12 Novosibirsk Oblast

Novosibirsk Oblast

4 Points

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#13 Leningrad, 1950s

Leningrad, 1950s

4 Points

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#14 Leningrad, 1950s

Leningrad, 1950s

4 Points

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#15 Baltic states, 1950s

Baltic states, 1950s

4 Points

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#16

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

4 Points

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#17

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

4 Points

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#18

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

4 Points

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#19

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

4 Points

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#20

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

4 Points

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#21

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

4 Points

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#22

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

4 Points

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#23

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

4 Points

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#24

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

4 Points

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#25

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

4 Points

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#26

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

4 Points

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#27 New Year celebration in Kremlin, 1950s

New Year celebration in Kremlin, 1950s

3 Points

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#28 Kostroma Oblast

Kostroma Oblast

3 Points

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#29 Iturup, Kuril Islands

Iturup, Kuril Islands

3 Points

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#30 Kiev Oblast (on the left)

Kiev Oblast (on the left)

3 Points

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#31 Sakhalin, 1950s

Sakhalin, 1950s

3 Points

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#32 Kabardia, North Caucasus, 1950s

Kabardia, North Caucasus, 1950s

3 Points

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#33 Kabardia, North Caucasus, 1950s

Kabardia, North Caucasus, 1950s

3 Points

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#34 Novosibirsk Oblast, 1950s

Novosibirsk Oblast, 1950s

2 Points

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#35 The town of Velikiye Lukim , 1950s

The town of Velikiye Lukim , 1950s

2 Points

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#36 Ukrainian SSR, 1950s

Ukrainian SSR, 1950s

2 Points

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#37 Kherson, Ukrainian SSR

Kherson, Ukrainian SSR

2 Points

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#38 Uzbek SSR, 1950s

Uzbek SSR, 1950s

2 Points

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#39 Vladivostok, 1950s

Vladivostok, 1950s

2 Points

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#40 Kabardia, North Caucasus, 1950s

Kabardia, North Caucasus, 1950s

2 Points

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#41 Kabardia, North Caucasus, 1950s

Kabardia, North Caucasus, 1950s

2 Points

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#42 Turkmen SSR, 1950s

Turkmen SSR, 1950s

2 Points

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#43 Leningrad, 1950s

Leningrad, 1950s

2 Points

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#44 Baltic states, 1950s

Baltic states, 1950s

2 Points

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#45 Baltic states, 1950s

Baltic states, 1950s

2 Points

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#46 Samara Oblast, 1950s

Samara Oblast, 1950s

2 Points

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#47

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

2 Points

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#48

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

2 Points

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#49

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

2 Points

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#50 Moscow, 1950s

Moscow, 1950s

1 Point

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#51 Pavlodar, Kazakh SSR, 1950s

Pavlodar, Kazakh SSR, 1950s

1 Point

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#52 Ukrainian SSR

Ukrainian SSR

1 Point

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#53

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

1 Point

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#54

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

1 Point

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#55

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

1 Point

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#56

Spectacular Photos Show Life in Soviet Union From The 1950s in Vibrant Colors

1 Point

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Written by Aung Budhh

Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life.

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9 Comments

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Alfred Bear says:

February 3, 2022 at 13:55 Copy Link of a Comment

I love the pictures from Nizhny Novgorod.

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Bad Karma says:

February 3, 2022 at 13:56 Copy Link of a Comment

I’m glad I found this post; remember me of the good old story that my grandma told me of the USSR.(I’m not from the USSR, but I went there to study and got a lot of excellent stories to tell)

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