Accession Number
2015/2.106

Title
First Decorated Heroes of Liberated Odessa

Artist(s)
Dmitri Baltermants

Artist Nationality
Russian (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
circa 1944, printed 2003

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
16 in x 20 in (40.64 cm x 50.8 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Thomas Wilson '79 and Jill Garling '80

Subject matter
In this photograph, a civilian woman admires a medal pinned to the breast of a young Soviet soldier’s uniform. This pair stands at the center of a crowd of civilians and soldiers who meet in a city street. Curiosity, respect, and amicability all describe the interactions among the individuals in the photograph. The crowd presses up against the picture plane, while the pale forms of building façades and the branches of trees fill the background. This image forms part of Baltermants’ larger project—as an official photographer to the Kremlin—which, spread across numerous portfolios, aimed to document scenes from the Soviet Union’s fight against Nazi Germany during World War II (1939-1945), known in the USSR as the Great Patriotic War.   

Physical Description
Two soldiers are surrounded by a crowd of civilians who admire the soldiers' medals pinned to their breasts.

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
journalistic photography
men (male humans)
soldiers
street scenes
war photography
women (female humans)