Red All Over

1977: 60th Anniversary of the October Revolution

I thought I would find a lot of red in the stamps of Russia so that is where I turned for this week's Sunday Stamp theme, and I wasn't disappointed for these first stamps were very red indeed.  The first shows the cruiser Aurora which in 1917 was moored in St Petersburg for major repairs.  The crew joined the Bolshevik Revolution and the shot fired from the forecastle signaled the start of the assault on the Winter Palace and so started the October Revolution.

Perhaps the pen is mightier than the sword for this stamp shows a page from the Izvestia newspaper (first published in 1917), a book by Brezhnev (leader of the Soviet Union from 1964-1982) and a crowd.  From the 60th Anniversary of the October Revolution we travel to

1978: 61st Anniversary of the October Revolution

the 61st anniversary, not quite as red, apart from the flag.

Another famous Russian newspaper appears swooping across this commemorative sheet, Pravda.  Established in 1903 it became the mouthpiece of the Soviet Communist Party but this sheet also shows lots of other publications because it commemorates the 60th Anniversary of 'Soyuzpechati', the state newspaper distribution service. Looking at the map of Russia on the globe I can only wonder at the enormous task that must have been in those early years, of course the communication satellite made thing a whole lot easier. I don't know the significance of the flower, which to my eyes looks like a carnation, but the Russians are great flower givers and lovers of flowers.

1978: Moscow Flowers

This is a set called Moscow Flowers, a place where the flower shops are open 24 hours a day.  The stamps show the tulip 'Bolshoi Theatre' and the rose 'Moscow Morning'

Next is the dahlia 'Red Star' and the gladiolus 'Moscovite'

A white flower has sneaked in, happily it is on a red background.  The iris is called Il'ich's Anniversary.    I didn't know whether this referred to Lenin or Tchaikovsky, both of whose middle name was Ilich, but managed to google the building and its the Lenin Central Museum.

An entry to Sunday Stamps II theme - Red - be well red and visit See It on A Postcard