The Commissar Vanishes

The Falsification of Photographs and Art in Stalin's Russia

By: David King

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Paperback | 2 September 2014 | Edition Number 2

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The Commissar Vanishes offers a chilling look at how Joseph Stalin manipulated the science of photography to advance his own political career and to erase the memory of his victims. On Stalin's orders, purged rivals were airbrushed from group portraits, and crowd scenes were altered to depict even greater legions of the faithful. For example, a 1919 photograph showing a large crowd of Bolsheviks clustered around Lenin, became, with the aid of the retoucher, an intimate portrait of Lenin and Stalin sitting alone, and then, in a later version, of Stalin by himself. In each case, the juxtaposition of the original and the doctored images yields a fascinating - and often terrifying and tragic - insight into one of the darkest chapters of modern history.

Industry Reviews

'David King has done a remarkable, meticulous job - An incomparable volume - This extraordinary combination of tragedy and farce, which evokes strong mixed emotions, makes King's album a work of art' - New York Review of Books 'Vivid, tragic and at times comic' - Wall Street Journal 'This lush volume is a fascinating and sobering study of the rewriting of history' - New York Times

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