Worker, mother, athlete: women in Soviet propaganda posters

An exhibition showcasing depictions of Soviet women on propaganda posters is running at the National Museum of the History of Moldova in Chișinău.

Showing 50 of the museum’s collection of 3,000 Soviet placards, The Image of the Woman in the Soviet Poster spans over a period of 65 years, from 1920 to 1985.

Mixing Russian and Romanian spelled with a Cyrillic alphabet, the posters show women learning to read, working in factories, hospitals, or schools. Others feature women as mothers, athletes, or propaganda seamstresses. Many reflect the contradictions in Soviet attitudes towards women: despite encouraging women to join certain professions, Soviet officials also promoted the idea that child rearing should be largely a woman’s job.

Many of the posters are motivational, aiming at meeting central government production plans. “Every minute should be spent on highly productive work!”, says one of them. “Today the factory fulfilled 200 per cent of the plan! We will celebrate everyday with a new victory of labour!” says another placard.

The Soviets involved a plethora of writers and artists in creating such posters. Curated by Vera Stăvilă, the show includes placards made by Moldovan artists N. Koreţki, A. Bubnov, N. Vatolina, I. Bogdesco, G. Dimitriu, O. Cojocaru, I. Taburţă, and others.

To read the translation for each poster, click on the image.