"Lenin for All Men," 1961
Gelatin silver print
9 x 11 1/2 inches
Baltermants photo and 'Ogonyok' stamps and signed in Russian on verso

While the United States was racked by turmoil over civil rights in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Soviets wanted to show the world that they were a classless society, open to peoples of all races from around the world. This message is displayed in this photograph of an African student visiting Moscow. As with all propaganda, the truth was somewhat distorted; the Soviet Union had its own minority groups, which it often held in low esteem.