St. Petersburg — Petrograd — Leningrad Universities during 1905–1930s in Visual Sources

Abstract

The article is focal research dedicated to reconstruction of the image of St. Petersburg — Petrograd — Leningrad universities in documentary photography. The study is based on photographic documents stored in Central State Archive of Photo, Phonographic and Cinema Documents of St. Petersburg, which is dated 1905 — the late 1930s. Author gives notes the specific of archival collection and gives and groups documents by topics, showing that the most popular plots were about students and faculty members as well as the participation of universities in political events. Results of the research allow complementing the socio-cultural portrait of professors and students and to trace how changed the image of higher education in public discourse during the period under review. Visual sources contain incomplete statements. Documentary photography reflects milestones of transformation Imperial universities into the Soviet one, its role in public and political life. The pre-revolutionary university was one of the Russian Empire political centers. Students often initiated strikes with political demands. Lots of professors were members of the Cadet party. Photographing was conducted to order, so at that time portrait and group photographs depicting members of academic community prevailed. After revolution in February 1917, firstly Provisional Government, then Bolsheviks positioned universities as public educational institutes that was reflected in documentary photographs. In photos of Soviet time there was a trend towards democratization of students’ and university members’ image, that was also due to opening new type of universities for trained personnel in the shortest possible time. It was primarily done for agitation and implementation of initiatives of Soviet government. Higher education was tasked with bringing up a new generation of socialist intelligentsia, so universities were presented as institutions loyal to Bolsheviks, like institutions rebuilt their work in accordance to the communist ideology for sake of building future of the country.