Stalin's Personal Possessions

"QUANTUM SHOT" #56


Humankind's worst tyrant lived in self-imposed ascetism

You know who we're talking about: the meanest, most dangerous criminal that lived on the face of the Earth. The one who built a kingdom around himself and possessed almost unlimited power:



(this is the biggest statue of Stalin anywhere in the world, which was erected on a hill overlooking Prague in 1955)

In his private life, however, he rarely used this power to get himself nicer things. His lifestyle was more of a soldier, of a man possessed... Except for a very few "special" things, which he cherished almost to the point of a fetish.

Only recently these objects became accessible for viewing, in the original locations (such as Stalin's summer "dacha"), unclassified by Russian officials, and displayed as a travelling exhibition. Here are some exhibits from that creepy "side-show":


Stationery set, given to him as a gift from the "prosperous & content" workers.


Stalin's signature wet ink blotter


Stalin's autograph, nemesis to the millions.

Some other "office supplies" are shown in this poster of Stalin at work:
(including the famous Kremlin-style art deco lamps, almost identical to the ones at Hitler's headquarters)

(Russ. transl.: "In his Kremlin office, Stalin never stops thinking about you")



From the window of his Kremlin office he could gaze across the river to the monumental portrait of himself, hanging on the highest building:




Marshal's hat, the utmost military object-of-desire.




his magnifying glass... showing him a lot of stuff, except the suffering of his own people.


his infamous pipe.


his robe... certainly nothing special.


and the craziest thing is that he always wore the military boots, even indoors
(exactly like Hitler)


His private entertainment center (from the summer cottage)




Military-grade Vodka flask

Stalin's car

He owned quite a few throughout his reign:






but his favorite was probably a Packard in the guise of a Soviet-made ZIS:


To brighten up this sinister collection, we have a surprising contribution from the West: Stalin in a Coca-Coba's ad campaign!
("Coba" was his revolutionary nickname)



Source: RusArchives via Dirty.ru

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