Item #2829 [UNRECORDED GEORGIAN PHOTOBOOK] Na pamyat' Tret'yey Sessii TSIK SSSR v gorode Tiflise, 2go Marta 1925 goda [i.e. In memory of the Third Session of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR in the city of Tiflis, March 2, 1925]
[UNRECORDED GEORGIAN PHOTOBOOK] Na pamyat' Tret'yey Sessii TSIK SSSR v gorode Tiflise, 2go Marta 1925 goda [i.e. In memory of the Third Session of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR in the city of Tiflis, March 2, 1925]
[UNRECORDED GEORGIAN PHOTOBOOK] Na pamyat' Tret'yey Sessii TSIK SSSR v gorode Tiflise, 2go Marta 1925 goda [i.e. In memory of the Third Session of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR in the city of Tiflis, March 2, 1925]
[UNRECORDED GEORGIAN PHOTOBOOK] Na pamyat' Tret'yey Sessii TSIK SSSR v gorode Tiflise, 2go Marta 1925 goda [i.e. In memory of the Third Session of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR in the city of Tiflis, March 2, 1925]
[UNRECORDED GEORGIAN PHOTOBOOK] Na pamyat' Tret'yey Sessii TSIK SSSR v gorode Tiflise, 2go Marta 1925 goda [i.e. In memory of the Third Session of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR in the city of Tiflis, March 2, 1925]
[UNRECORDED GEORGIAN PHOTOBOOK] Na pamyat' Tret'yey Sessii TSIK SSSR v gorode Tiflise, 2go Marta 1925 goda [i.e. In memory of the Third Session of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR in the city of Tiflis, March 2, 1925]
[UNRECORDED GEORGIAN PHOTOBOOK] Na pamyat' Tret'yey Sessii TSIK SSSR v gorode Tiflise, 2go Marta 1925 goda [i.e. In memory of the Third Session of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR in the city of Tiflis, March 2, 1925]
[UNRECORDED GEORGIAN PHOTOBOOK] Na pamyat' Tret'yey Sessii TSIK SSSR v gorode Tiflise, 2go Marta 1925 goda [i.e. In memory of the Third Session of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR in the city of Tiflis, March 2, 1925]
[UNRECORDED GEORGIAN PHOTOBOOK] Na pamyat' Tret'yey Sessii TSIK SSSR v gorode Tiflise, 2go Marta 1925 goda [i.e. In memory of the Third Session of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR in the city of Tiflis, March 2, 1925]
[UNRECORDED GEORGIAN PHOTOBOOK] Na pamyat' Tret'yey Sessii TSIK SSSR v gorode Tiflise, 2go Marta 1925 goda [i.e. In memory of the Third Session of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR in the city of Tiflis, March 2, 1925]

[UNRECORDED GEORGIAN PHOTOBOOK] Na pamyat' Tret'yey Sessii TSIK SSSR v gorode Tiflise, 2go Marta 1925 goda [i.e. In memory of the Third Session of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR in the city of Tiflis, March 2, 1925]

Item #2829

[Tbilisi]: Sovnarkom Gruzii, 1925. [98] p. 17,5x21,5 cm. Original green calico binding with the gilt ornamented coat of arms of Georgian SSR and the dedication to I.K. Belolipetskiy in Georgian. Dedication to the same comrade on the title page: the book was given to the delegates of the Session. The dedication is signed from the Georgian commissary union. Corners of the binding are slightly bumped. Otherwise good.

Apparently an unrecorded edition, printed in a limited number of copies for delegates attending the Session. The publication represents an early precursor of the deluxe commemorative and presentation albums that would become a standard feature of Soviet official culture in the 1930s. Issued four years after the Red Army's capture of Tiflis and the establishment of Soviet rule in Georgia, the volume reflects a period when the republic was still perceived as a recent and strategically important addition to the Soviet state. This atmosphere is clearly evident in the speeches delivered at the Session. Mikhail Kalinin recalled his pre-revolutionary activities in Georgia and efforts to promote electoral participation among workers, while other speakers congratulated the peoples of the Caucasus on what they described as their historic choice between the “bourgeois West” and revolutionary Russia, expressing hopes that the region would become a bridge between the European and Asian parts of the Soviet Union.

Particularly noteworthy is the attention devoted to the Zemo Avchala Hydroelectric Power Station, which delegates visited during the Session. Construction of the station had begun in 1923 and it was widely promoted as one of the flagship projects of Soviet electrification in the Caucasus and a tangible demonstration of the GOELRO plan in Georgia. At the time the album was issued, the project remained under construction and symbolized the promise of industrial modernization that Soviet authorities sought to associate with the newly incorporated republic. The station was opened in 1927, in 1934 the construction was completed to the present state.

The album presents a carefully constructed image of socialist transformation in Georgia. Views of Tiflis and its principal landmarks are juxtaposed with photographs of streets, public spaces, and buildings specially prepared for the delegates' visit. Since discussions at the Session frequently focused on Soviet nationality policy, a substantial portion of the album is devoted to ethnographic photographs depicting the diverse peoples of Georgia and the Caucasus. Several photographs near the end of the volume bear negative dates from late 1924. It is possible that these images were prepared specifically for this publication and were not reused in later albums or editions, as we have not encountered them elsewhere in our bookselling experience.

Overall, interesting unrecorded example of Georgian photo-book propaganda.
Not found in Worldcat.

Status: On Hold
Ask a Question Add to Wish List
See all items in Georgia, Photo Book