Pictures Don't Lie

The genesis of my three novels was the Pribish family portrait.  In chapter thirty-five of Slogans: Our Children, Our Future,  I laid the groundwork for its creation.  I introduced a character named Andre Petrovich Antanov, a zealous young Communist photographer assigned to document Unkurda's spring planting.  Armed with the latest Eastman Kodak Brownie camera, and six rolls of well-regulated film, Andre rumbles into the village and sets about his task. 

Andre Antanov's mobile photography studio

Kodak Brownie Camera - circ 1910

Akulina approaches Andre and offers to pay him with American money for likenesses of her family.  Andre is torn by the offer.  One on hand he does not believe in capitalism, but on the other hand, the hard currency is attractive.  As a compromise, and to keep the Ministry of Truth from discovering his capitalistic weakness, he proposes using his old wet plate camera instead of Kodak film.  This enabled me to write a scene in which each member of Akulina's family is captured individually and explain how the portrait came into being.

Vintage Wet Plate Camera

Afterwards, Andre secretly plans to use a popular darkroom technique to create a family portrait for Akulina which includes Massey.  What Andre envisions is a political ploy sweeping Russia where low level party apparatchik doctor photographs to show themselves associating with high ranking party members.  If you want your picture taken with Lenin, Andre knows how to do it. 

Joseph Stalin employed manipulated photos in two ways.  As an up and comer, he had photos created showing him shoulder to shoulder with Lenin.  Later, when Stalin became the absolute ruler, he was adept at displaying photos to shape public image.  As in Orwell's 1984 Ministry of Truth, it was not enough for Stalin to eradicate an opponent, the very existence of the person was erased.  This was before Photoshop and an era when people believed pictures never lie.

Joseph Stalin - With and Without Nicolai Yezhov

Andre later returns to record the fall harvest and presents Akulina with a gift of a colored family portrait.  In it, Akulina not only sees her immediate family, but all past and future members.

Original Photos

Andre's Reuslts

Andre also served another purpose. He and a deposed factory owner named Abraham Kubechev debated the pros and cons of capitalism and communism.  The result was a rather heated exchange.