Railway Safety, Soviet Propaganda

This 1982 public safety poster exemplifies the Soviet state's deployment of civic organizations for social engineering purposes during the late Brezhnev period. Commissioned by the Road Committee of the Red Cross Society affiliated with the Donetsk Order of Lenin Railway, the poster addresses alcohol consumption and smoking among railway passengers, two persistent behavioral issues the Soviet system sought to regulate through visual propaganda. The composition employs a limited palette of red, blue, and black characteristic of regional Soviet printing operations working within material constraints. Artist V.V. Yeletsky renders the cautionary illustration in a simplified graphic style showing a figure falling from a train car while bystanders observe from the platform, a direct visual consequence narrative typical of Soviet safety messaging. The institutional credits are notably complete, documenting the full production chain from artist through technical editor to corrector. The Voroshilovgrad (now Luhansk) regional publishing house attribution and the small print run of 1000 copies reflect the decentralized nature of Soviet propaganda production, where regional organizations produced materials addressing local concerns. This poster predates Gorbachev's more aggressive anti-alcohol campaign of 1985 by three years, documenting the earlier, more restrained approach to the acknowledged social problem of alcohol abuse. Size: 16.5" x 11.25" Artist: V.V. Yeletsky Condition: Very Good, Age-appropriate wear, fading and toning. Original center fold present. General border wear. Minute chip in lower right border. Please use the photo zoom feature to get a better understanding of overall condition. *Additional photos available upon request.