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Overview of Wall Press in Karlag
Karlag camp document, 1945: The document provides information regarding the production of wall newspapers in camps, their content, examples of some camp newspapers.
To Chief of Karlag Administration NKVD Zhuravlev and Chief of Political Department of Karlag Samokhodov
Karlag camp document, 1940: The document reports on the spread of anti-Soviet leaflets in Karlag NKVD.
Group of Prisoners with Flags
Black and white photograph of prisoners gathered together after hearing the head of Belomorkanal Camp speak. The prisoners were headed out to make a major breakthrough on the construction of the canal, and the camp chief had spoken to them to try to raise their morale.
Tags: propaganda prisoners guards
Pechorlag Entrance Gate
Black and white photograph of the entrance gate to Pechorlag Camp showing a guard with rifle standing at right. Gate posts and camp interior feature Soviet art work and symbols.
Friends of Lice and Caricatures on Wall
Photograph of the "wall newspaper wall" in the first section at the White Sea - Baltic Sea Canal Camp. It includes a number of propaganda elements, including a poster of the "Friends of Lice," and caricatures of idlers and "fake shockworkers." Lice were an omnipresent source of discomfort for many of the prisoners in the camps.
Shock Workers Visiting Valdai
Black and white photograph of shockworkers and two officials from the Belomorkanal Camp visiting the forest in Valdai posing in front of a banner that reads: "Labor in the USSR is a Matter of Honor, Glory, Valor and Heroism."
Meeting of Builders at White Sea Canal Camp
Black and white photograph of the Belomorkanal Camp meeting of builders. Gulag camps frequently used such meetings trying to motivate their prisoner laborers to work harder.
Grandstand with Band and Motivational Slogans
Black and white photograph of a grandstand decorated with motivational slogans. A group of men in military uniforms lean on the railing while a brass band plays behind them. The gathering celebrates the prisoner "shockworkers." The signs read: "Do no less than 200%; Our record is 250%."
Fellow Prisoner
Mkrtchan's pencil drawing reveals the stark reality of a prisoner whose daily labor included carrying back a prisoner who did not survive the day in Ivdellag.
Distribution of Newspapers in Camp
Two black and white photographs show prisoners reading camp newspapers, which were produced as part of the "cultural-educational" apparatus at Gulag camps.