USSR 1965

Creator: Inge Morath
Title: USSR. Moscow. 1965. Red Square.
Date: 1965
Collection: Magnum Photos
Description: This is a photo of a queue of people waiting for entrance to Lenin's Mausoleum. In the background, you can see St. Basil's church and to the left of the line is the State Department Store (GUM).

Red Square is an iconic Russian image, so this particular photo immediately grabbed my attention. Full disclosure: I hold an undergraduate minor in Russian, so I might be a bit biased regarding the beauty and importance of this picture. I enjoy the composition of the photo itself: the curve of the long line, the billowy steam behind St. Basil's and the stark five-pointed red star that tops the Spasskaya Tower. It is difficult to settle upon the subject of the photo--it could be the line of people, or it could be the buildings of the Red Square. I like to think that the photographer, Inge Morath, was attempting to display the devotion of the Russian people toward their long-dead comrade, Lenin. I also appreciate how the photo displays the contrast between the splendor of old Russia (St. Basil's) and the USSR (Lenin's tomb and the red star). Having been to Red Square, I can tell you that the line to Lenin's Mausoleum is always this long. All in all, I think this is a perfect illustration of Soviet Russia.

Also, Blogger will not let me post from my Simmons email address, so I'm under my other gmail account. Therefore, jedimeg=Meg Campbell.