These lantern slides show Soviet Russia eight years after the Russian Revolution and one year after the death of Lenin, a time when restrictions on visitors to the new socialist state were comparatively few (most of the photographs were taken by Henry Sara himself). Identifiable places include St Petersburg, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod; and subjects include the Winter Palace and exhibits in the State Museum of Revolution (Leningrad / St Petersburg), workers' sanatoria, children's homes or creches, the Kremlin and Red Square (Moscow), street scenes, factories, sporting events, an agit-prop play and a youth parade.

Unfortunately no notes for this talk have survived, but some captions have been taken from photographic prints included in Henry Sara's archiveLink opens in a new window [document reference: MSS.15/7/5/19-111]. Sara was accompanied to Russia by Connie Taylor and her son, the future historian A.J.P. (Alan) Taylor; a description of this visit is included in A.J.P. Taylor's autobiography 'A personal history' (Hamish Hamilton, 1983), including recollections of meeting Kirov, Kamenev and Litvinov, and hearing Zinoviev speak ("fine ranting stuff").

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[Document reference for this set of slides: MSS.15B/5/1/12]