Bookvica

[SOVIET GEORGIAN POP-UP NEW YEAR CARD FOR CHILDREN] saakhalts’lo nadzvis khe = Novogodnyaya Yelka [i.e. New Year’s Tree]

Item #2873

[Tbilisil: 1949]. 9,4x43,3 cm. A single sheet of paper folded into seven panels. Light soiling, glue traces on the last panel, but otherwise near fine.

Bilingual. Text in Georgian and Russian.

Extremely rare piece of Soviet Georgia’s pop-up print culture, issued by the Georgian Republican Council of Trade Unions for the 1950 Georgian Republic New Year "Yolka" celebration held at the Tbilisi Opera Theatre. The item apparently belonged to a child attending the festivities and was retained as a souvenir after the event.

The multi-fold card incorporates pre-scored die-cut elements that open into a miniature three-dimensional theatrical stage, complete with a decorated proscenium arch, gilded ornament, red curtains, and a prominent red star bearing the hammer-and-sickle emblem. A snow-covered New Year tree appears through the central stage opening, creating the effect of a festive theatrical set.

The interior panels are decorated with vivid color illustrations, including Puss in Boots beneath festive New Year ribbons and a full-color image of Ded Moroz carrying a sack of gifts through a moonlit pine forest. The printed text gives details of the celebration at the Opera Theatre and includes the note “Theatrical ticket attached,” suggesting that an admission ticket was originally tipped into the booklet and later detached, most likely upon entry, while the card itself was preserved as a keepsake.

Overall, a scarce example of mid-century Soviet-Georgian holiday and theatrical ephemera.

Status: On Hold