1939 All-Union Agricultural Exhibition Photo Album: Drainage, Cleaning and Sanitary Inspection

On the cover of the album on VSKhV is a reference to the State Sanitary Inspectorate’s report for 1939. The accompanying sheets include the construction of a drainage system, a table of pavilion cleaning arrangements and a photograph of a sweeping machine. The selection shows the work and maintenance methods presented by the compilers; it cannot be used to assess the exhibition’s cleanliness throughout the season.

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What is known about the album’s origins?

The cover identifies the document as an ‘Album of Illustrations and Tables Accompanying the Report on the Work of the State Sanitary Inspectorate at VSKhV for 1939’. The modern designation ‘VDNKh 1939’ refers here to the same exhibition; the source uses its name at the time. This provides a verifiable link to the institution and the reporting period. The four sheets examined contain no photographer’s name, compiler’s name or archival reference; the title alone does not establish who took the photographs or where the original is held. Digital copies are available via links to VDNKh files. The VDNKh Archive and Library Collection portal presents photographic material from its collection, but the collection’s public page has no separate catalogue entry for this particular album.

The cover text refers to preparations for the opening of VSKhV and the monitoring of sanitary conditions; this wording cannot be used to date individual photographs. The All-Union Agricultural Exhibition of 1939 opened on 1 August. This date provides a historical reference point, but does not date any of the photographs shown.

What work and rules do the sheets show?

The sheet captioned ‘Construction of the Drainage System’ shows people beside an excavated ditch. The photograph establishes that the compilers included this episode in their account of sanitary maintenance at VSKhV. It does not identify the location within the exhibition grounds, the date of the photograph or how close the entire system was to completion. This photograph — provides evidence of the section of construction shown, rather than certifying the acceptance of the entire system.

Another sheet is captioned ‘Mechanical Sweeping of Squares and Paths with Water Spraying’. The photograph shows a vehicle fitted with sweeping equipment on a paved area. Water spraying is mentioned in the caption, but the photograph does not establish how often the vehicle was used. Nor can a single photograph reveal how many such vehicles the service had at its disposal. The captioned photograph documents one method of cleaning paths, but not the extent of its use.

The table ‘Cleaning Specifications for VSKhV Pavilions, 1939’ lists the items to be cleaned, their quantities, dust removal methods, and the timing and frequency of maintenance. For floors, it specifies two daily cleaning cycles — between 10:00–12:00 and 16:00–22:00 — and a thorough clean once every ten days. Sculptures are to be cleaned daily, with more thorough care scheduled once every ten days. The sheet containing the table confirms that these arrangements were recorded in the album; without completion logs, individual entries cannot be treated as evidence that the work was actually carried out.

What does the album not prove?

A photograph and a written record answer different questions. A photograph of drainage works or a sweeping machine captures one selected moment. The table shows how pavilion cleaning is described in the album, but the sheet presented contains no record of each cleaning round being completed, no inspectors’ signatures and no final assessment of cleanliness. The source provides no continuous record of conditions at the exhibition.

The cover refers to a report for 1939; this does not date each photograph. It cannot establish whether the two photographs were taken before the opening on 1 August or afterwards. The vehicle’s routes, the number of cleaning rounds, periods out of service and visitors’ feedback are also unknown. Such conclusions would require dated service logs, work schedules and independent accounts. The table allows us to describe the stated arrangements, but cannot replace those documents.

How should this source be presented to readers?

The sheets themselves provide suitable illustrations for the article: the cover establishes the album’s title, the drainage photograph shows work on the grounds, the table explains the pavilion cleaning arrangements, and the vehicle photograph shows one method of cleaning paths. Each image caption should distinguish the archival wording from what is actually visible in the photograph. The precise dates and authorship of the photographs remain unknown. The two historical photographs provide spatial context and are not sheets from the document.

On VDNKh and Space tour visitors walk through the exhibition squares and past its pavilions; the album adds the question of how the grounds were maintained in 1939 to this route. The bureau’s private tours allow you to discuss it at your own pace. Next week, our ‘Document of the Week’ series will examine a new primary source.

Sources

1. Cover of the album of illustrations and tables accompanying the State Sanitary Inspectorate’s report on the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition for 1939
2. Album page: construction of the drainage system
3. Album page: pavilion cleaning figures for the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition, 1939
4. Album page: mechanical sweeping of squares and paths with water spraying
5. VDNKh Archive and Library Collection
6. All-Union Agricultural Exhibition Medal — Artefact portal (information on the exhibition’s opening)
7. VDNKh and Space — a tour by Radius Tour Bureau
8. Private tours by Radius Tour Bureau
9. Main fountain of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition, viewed from the Main Pavilion, 1939 — Wikimedia Commons
10. Rotunda of the ‘Uzbek SSR’ pavilion at the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition, photograph by B. Ignatovich, 1939 — Wikimedia Commons