Yes, that was the name of the illustrated album (published by D. Ya. Makovsky), with which I happened to get acquainted in the scientific library of the local history museum in Pyatigorsk. Issues 9-14 in a beautiful binding, similar to our modern editions of De Agostini, only at the appropriate printing level. There is this edition in the funds of the Penza Museum of Local Lore, but the quality of the Pyatigorsk copy is simply incomparable - and where did they find such a well-preserved copy ?!
For us, this is nothing more than a curious example of information support for public opinion in those years, as well as a historical source. However, looking at his photographs, one should remember about the really fierce censorship, there is no other word for it, which was at that time. The photographs were selected such that the details on them could not be particularly disassembled, general plans were given, drawings made from photographs were very often published and, conversely, photographs were so heavily retouched that it was impossible to make out the details on them. Interestingly, color "pictures" were printed at that time separately, cut to size on cutting machines by hand and also manually pasted on the pages of publications, which, of course, made them very expensive. There were no color photographs, but many prints, etchings and watercolors were published by artists, again made in the manner of that time, and they also convey the peculiar spirit of that era and the manner of depiction.
Someone does not like the very name of that "imperialist war" - "great." But it was the people of that time that they called it that, and we will have to put up with this. In any case, this is a valuable historical source that has brought to us the "taste" and attitude of that era far from us.
Well, and our acquaintance with this edition, we will begin with a picture of B. B. Mazurinsky "Met".
The First World War was a war of artillery, which, due to its imperfection, fired an incredible amount of shells. The infantry commanders of the Russian army demanded constant fire support from the artillerymen and in their applications for firing they often wrote - "hurricane fire", "drum fire" and even … "fire to the red heat of the barrel"! That is why such ammunition depots in the rear of all warring armies were completely normal! In this case, it is a temporary storage of shells for the French army near Verdun.
In many Russian publications of that time, the first tanks were called differently. In the magazine "Niva" - they were called "tanks", in a number of others - "suckers", and tankers - "suckers". In "Images and Pictures …" they were called "tanka" for some reason. And here is the first photo (or drawing) of the "Tank" in battle! Moreover, all the technical features of the MK I tank are very clearly visible here.
In Soviet times, I saw the movie "The Broken Sky". I was delighted to see quite well-made and flying (!) Replicas of the aircraft of the First World War and the Civil War. Placing an ordinary frying pan under the seat of the pilots was also very realistic. Yes, it was like that, and they, sitting in the pans, really flew so that the shrapnel did not fall into this very place. But then … then the bad "whites" began to take combat arrows and one by one (!!!), holding them by the tail, toss from the sky into the Red Army wagon train with the wounded. And after all, they got, probably, judging by the director's plan. Well, didn't the film consultants know about the presence of this picture in the above-mentioned edition?
In general, a useful publication, isn't it?
