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Science and communism are inseparable! That is the basic message of this amazing collection of Soviet space propaganda posters that will be auctioned off on Apr. 22.
Featuring Yuri Gagarin and Gherman Titov, the first and second humans to reach space, along with Krushchev, and of course Lenin, these posters glorify the the Soviet Union's technological prowess and importance in the world, and in the universe. Many of the posters focus on the role the workers played in the space race, and the ordinary citizen's duty to feel immensely proud of Mother Russia's accomplishments.
The posters have messages such as "Comrades! Soviet Land Has From Now On Become the Shore of the Universe!" or "The Tenth Planet Symbolizes the Victory of Communism!" and "Be Proud, Soviet, You Opened a Path from the Earth to the Stars!" One of my favorites is "Lenin Is With Us, Immortal and Majestic, the Thoughts, Words and Deeds of Ilyich Are Propagating Through the Universe."
The estimated values of the posters range from $400 to $1,500, and for some of these, I think that is a bargain. If you'd like to hang one of these posters on your wall, check out the auction online. (Space-themed posters are toward the end of the list.) Bidding starts at 10 a.m. PDT on Apr. 22 by Mercer & Middlesex Auctions.
Above:
The Path For Humans Is Now Cleared, 1960
Lot 122 Artist: Konstantin Ivanov (1921-2003) Size: 87 x 58.5 cm. Estimated Value: $400-$600 This poster should be of considerable interest to collectors interested in the history of space exploration, as it marks an important milestone. "Space dogs" Belka and Strelka became the first leaving creatures to survive an orbital flight. (They actually share this distinction with an unnamed rabbit and many mice, rats and flies that were also the part of the Sputnik-5 experiment.)Images and captions courtesy of Mercer & Middlesex Auctions.
