We Won't Let Him Through the Border, Soviet Propaganda

This Cold War era Soviet propaganda poster from the celebrated Boevoi Karandash (Fighting Pencil) series presents a masterfully satirical take on border security. Artist V. Menshikov depicts a wolf dressed as a Western spy, complete with red beret and camera, attempting to sneak past a Soviet border post while carrying a collaborator. The verse by V. Khochinsky rhymes in Russian: 'He Wants to Cross The Border- We Won't Let Him Through, He Won't Get Through!'Published in Leningrad in the late 1960s by the official RSFSR Artists' publishing house, this poster exemplifies the continuation of Soviet satirical art traditions that began with the famous TASS Windows of World War II. The Boevoi Karandash collective produced pointed political cartoons throughout the Cold War, transforming serious propaganda messages into memorable visual satire.A distinctive piece of Cold War visual culture, this poster combines folk tale imagery (the predatory wolf) with contemporary political anxieties about espionage and infiltration. Complete with all original publication data, this represents Soviet graphic design at its most characteristically sardonic.Size: 16.75" x 22.25"Artist: V. MenshikovCondition: Very Good, Age-appropriate wear, fading and toning. Creasing along top right border. Small top border tears and light scuffing. Minor tears along bottom center border. Please use the photo zoom feature to get a better understanding of overall condition. *Additional photos available upon request.