These pieces of ephemera provide perspectives on everyday Soviet life and were collected by architect Catherine Cooke, who was passionate about Russian and Soviet architecture and design.
The pre-WWII black and white postcard is an example of Soviet propaganda. In the top half New York police attack protestors compared to a peaceful Soviet workers rally in Moscow below.

The 1949 Radio Postcard confirms contact between two amateur radio operators. It depicts the laurels of victory and a Hero of the Soviet Union medal, representing post-war patriotism.

The hotel card (with room number circled). Hotel guests were monitored by a ‘floor lady’, or dezhurnaia, who kept custody of keys when guests left the hotel and enforced other rules. Visiting Moscow was often bewildering for Westerners. Formidable dezhurnaias rarely spoke English and were happy to shout in Russian at unsuspecting tourists who started to leave without providing their key.

CCD.54.378, Views.PC.Cooke, and from CCA.54.1089-1091