Anthropological Photography of the 1920s – Early 1930s in the Context of the Development of National Territories by the Soviet Authorities

Abstract

The article is devoted to various aspects of the creation of anthropological photography in the 1920s – early 1930s. Taking the case of the history and development of a visual document, it presents the problems of scientific development of national territories. The peculiarities of formation of the complex of photographic images in the period of nation-building are considered in the context of priorities for choosing territories and ethnic groups for research, interaction with the authorities, and approach to working with the local population. The text shows the various situations in which anthropological photographic documents were created, and the reports that reflected scientific tasks of researchers. The history of the formation of the MAE RAS photographic collection is exemplified by the main stages and directions of research, the technical specificities of creating photographic documents and archiving them in the museum collection. The article further raises questions of author’s methodology for creating and collecting images, the problems related to the ethics of interaction with subjects and the publication of research materials.