Spartakiad Gymnastics Album 1980

[Czechoslovakia – Spartakiad Gymnastics Album] Okresní Spartakiáda v Olomouci, 31. května 1980. Oblong 4to (18 × 24 cm). Sky-blue cloth boards with gilt-stamped title to upper cover, secured with brass screws. A unique commemorative photo album (not issued for sale), produced in limited numbers, most likely for officials or participants. Comprising over 60 original gelatin silver photographs, each printed as a separate plate (approx. 18 × 24 cm), gathered and screw-bound. The plates vividly document the 1980 district Spartakiad in Olomouc (Okresní Spartakiáda), a socialist mass gymnastics festival in Czechoslovakia. Subjects include synchronized calisthenics by men, women, and children, pyramid and formation exercises, rhythmic drills with clubs and props, as well as stadium views with spectators, banners, and attending dignitaries. Political slogans such as “Svatek míru a socialismu” and “35. výročí osvobození” underscore the propagandistic character of the event. Photographer’s studio stamp on versos: fotografia VD, provozovna 056, Šternberk. Condition: VG+, photographs crisp and well-preserved; binding clean and bright with only light handling wear. A rare piece of Cold War visual culture, combining documentary photography, socialist propaganda, and mass-spectacle aesthetics in late Czechoslovakia. Inv. H4ob