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A review by socraticgadfly
The Commissar Vanishes: The Falsification of Photographs and Art in Stalin's Russia by David King
5.0
Excellent book.
After Stalin muscled his way to the to of the Soviet hierarchy, he of course then started muscling Trotsky and his allies aside. Later, he threw away people he had once used, of course.
As part of this, Soviet PR flunkies began "disappearing" people from official photographs. People like commissars of people's affairs, etc.
Hence, the title of the book.
On the flip side, a subtitle could be "Stalin appears."
For various reasons, he was not at a lot of early Revolutionary events in 1917-18. So, same flunkies started cutting him in.
King has "before" and "after" documentary evidence in both cases.
In some cases, this pre-Photoshop photoshopping was easy. In some semi-hard cases, it was done crudely. In others, it was done quite skillfully. As a newspaper editor and nature photographer, while decrying the playing with history, I have to salute the skill.
After Stalin muscled his way to the to of the Soviet hierarchy, he of course then started muscling Trotsky and his allies aside. Later, he threw away people he had once used, of course.
As part of this, Soviet PR flunkies began "disappearing" people from official photographs. People like commissars of people's affairs, etc.
Hence, the title of the book.
On the flip side, a subtitle could be "Stalin appears."
For various reasons, he was not at a lot of early Revolutionary events in 1917-18. So, same flunkies started cutting him in.
King has "before" and "after" documentary evidence in both cases.
In some cases, this pre-Photoshop photoshopping was easy. In some semi-hard cases, it was done crudely. In others, it was done quite skillfully. As a newspaper editor and nature photographer, while decrying the playing with history, I have to salute the skill.