Max Penson's Uzbekistan (19 photos)

We invite you to explore the work of renowned Soviet photographer Max Zakharovich Penson. He was born in 1893 in Belarus and lived in Uzbekistan from 1915 until his death. From 1921 to 1948, Penson documented the historical, social, religious, and political changes in Central Asia and the dramatic transformation of Uzbekistan from a traditional feudal society to a modern Soviet republic.

The photographer's amazing archive of work was nearly lost in the ruins left by the 1966 earthquake, but his grandson managed to save it. The archive was recently acquired by Getty Images.







Sculptor Khaidarov at work 1940

Construction of the Farhad Hydroelectric Power Station, 1940



Construction of a canal in the Turkmen sands, 1940



Grain grower with a bundle of wheat, 1940



Farmer in front of an irrigated field, 1940



Tractor with a portrait of Stalin 1940



Two Cotton Pickers, 1950s



Dancer and Musician at a Festival, 1935



Jumper 1940



Members of the Youth Sports League and members of the Uzbek SSR government, 1948



Gymnasts at the stadium, 1940



Worker at a machine 1940



Weighing a newborn, 1940



Child under an ultraviolet lamp, 1940



Funeral service for Sergei Kirov, December 1 1934



Parade on Red Square in Tashkent, 1943



Girls from Khorezm with rifles over their shoulders, 1940



Two peasants checking grain, 1940