Bookvica

[SOVIET PHOTOGRAPHY AND ANIMATION] Sobachki prachki. Skazka dlia malen’kikh detei [i.e. Laundress Dogs. Tale for Young Children] / Photo by V. Griuntal and [L.] Rode, text by V. Grishanin

Moscow: Soyuzfoto: Fotokhudozhnik, 1938. Item #1825

21 photographs. Photo: 9,6x14,6 cm. Folder: 10,5x16,5 cm. In original illustrated cardboard folder. Photos in mint condition, minor stains on blank edge of one photo. Folder rubbed, with tears and stains, otherwise good.

Extremely rare. According to “The Impact Book of the Soviet Youngsters”, Griuntal worked on two similar series of photographs, 29 prints in each. Karasik cited a magazine article, he hadn’t had the photographs themselves. We haven’t found another series and any other copy of this series in open sources and Russian libraries. In our copy, 21 photos are preserved.
Soviet Photo (1937, No 5/6) published a note: “In the previous year, photojournalist V. Griuntal and female children’s writer Lidia Rode has started a new interesting project – the creation of photo films consisting of dynamic and funny photographs aimed at schoolchildren. Recently, on the instructions of “Fotokhudozhnik” [Photo Artist] of Soyuzfoto, Gryunthal made two children’s photo collections of 29 frames each. For the photos, ordinary toys were used. The most difficult thing was to successfully choose an expressive type. The funnier the plot, the better. Pictures should cause laughter in young spectators”.
Vladimir Griuntal (1898-1963) is known as a photographer from the October group, artist of photomontage and abstract photo compositions. In 1932, the photographer created a puzzle photobook ‘What Is This?’ together with G. Iablonovskii. There close-ups of food and items were printed as clues to math tasks for kids.
This photo project resembles stop-motion animated films made with toys and dolls that later became popular in the USSR in the 1960s. The story shows 6 toys and various objects they used. Two dogs live together and work as laundresses for neighbors. Once clothing disappears from a rope where it was drying. A sniffer dog leads them to a monkey and then the monkey is caught on a jar of jam. Sick because of overeating, the monkey is nursed by dogs and finally begins to help them with laundry. Each photograph is complemented with a small caption in verse.
In all, an impressive project of the late 1930s.

No copies are found in Worldcat.

Price: $1,250.00