Women and War. Just so Stories.

The State Museum and Exhibition Centre ROSPHOTO in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross and TASS presents the exhibition project “Women and War. Just so stories.”

The exhibition, including more than 160 rare photographs from 19th — 21st centuries presented in chronological order, is dedicated to the situation and status of women: nurses, mothers and victims — in military conflicts and armed clashes, between the front line and the home front, in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.

The story of the ICRC’s humanitarian mission begins with pictures of the women at the origin of the Red Cross movement, whose uncompromising work saved many lives. Photographic prints, shown for the first time, will introduce the viewer to Clara Burton (1821–1912), the founder of the American Red Cross; Queen Olga of Württemberg (1822–1892), born Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova; Marie Simon, one of the first French nurses; and Elsa Brändström, who worked for the Swedish Red Cross.

Important evidence of the work of the Soviet Red Cross during the Great Patriotic War is found in photographs showing the daily work of nurses on the front line, provided by the TASS photo archive.

Another part of the exhibit traces the history of ICRC humanitarian operations from the 1900s to the present day. Photographs taken by professional photographers and volunteers, who collaborated with the ICRC, are unbiased records of the lives of female victims in numerous domestic and international military conflicts.

The simple stories told by heroines in documentaries and on interactive screens allow visitors to see the war through women’s eyes, providing insight into the universal significance of the mission of the International Red Cross.