Stalin's Photo Purges: Rewriting History
An original 1924 photo revealing Stalin's pockmarked skin, contrasted with a 1939 retouched version where his appearance was smoothed and idealized, showcasing early propaganda manipulation.
Nikolai Yezhov, once prominent to Stalin's right at the Moscow Canal, was later meticulously erased from this photograph, a stark symbol of his political purge.
A 1926 photograph featuring Stalin alongside party bosses Nikolai Antipov, Sergey Kirov, and Nikolai Shvernik, all of whom would eventually be digitally removed as they fell from favor, leaving Stalin alone.
The chilling culmination of years of photo manipulation: Stalin stands isolated in this image, a visual metaphor for the elimination of his political rivals.
A historic 1897 image of young socialists, including Vladimir Lenin (center), before their rise to power. Alexander Malchenko (left) was less fortunate; after his 1930 execution, he was replaced with a blank white spot, a chilling example of historical erasure.
An example of photographic embellishment: Lenin addressing a crowd in 1920, with editors later digitally expanding his audience using imagery from a different photo to create a grander, fabricated scene.
A 1920 photograph originally showing Leon Trotsky (in cap) alongside Lenin delivering a speech, contrasted with a later version where Trotsky has been completely expunged, reflecting his political downfall and eventual assassination.
Once a key figure, Leon Trotsky is digitally removed from this 1920 photo with Lenin, illustrating his systematic eradication from official Soviet history following his exile and assassination.
The iconic Soviet flag over the Reichstag photo, later exposed as extensively staged and altered to enhance its propaganda impact during the Battle of Berlin.
