1958 school girl | ikat dress and memories
We love this photo! It is from “Life” magazine archives and was taken in Tadjikistan in 1958 by an American photographer Howard Sochurek during his travels in the former USSR.
As a woman born and raised in Soviet Central Asia, this photo resonates deeply with me. It evokes a rush of nostalgia and fills my heart with warmth. It beautifully captures the essence of that era, speaking volumes about a social landscape of those times.
In 1958, the girl in this photo resembles how our mothers appeared when they attended Soviet schools: dressed in ikat dresses, hair traditionally braided in many braids, and carrying school bags far too large for their height and age. There was a clear determination to study!