Flags of European communist organizations from the 1920s in the collection of the Artillery Historical Museum

The article is dedicated to the analysis of the designs of flags of European communist organizations from the 1920s, held at the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineer Troops, and Communications. The collection of flag graphics was created by the outstanding specialist in vexillology, Pyotr Ivanovich Belavents, in the late 1920s. The museum's flag department collected the flags and information about them. A separate task was set to create a collection of flag graphics. It was necessary to photograph and sketch the preserved flags in color, gather copies of drawings of redesigned or lost flags, and compile scientific descriptions. The value of the material lies in the accurate sketches and descriptions of the flags' appearances, some of which have not survived in material form to this day. Among the various types and purposes of flags, a group of drawings of foreign communist flags from the 1920s stands out. The research conducted relies on the principles of art history and cultural studies, employing a historical and cultural method for studying the subject, as well as formal and stylistic analysis. In the collection of flag graphics, a separate group identifies flags of communist organizations, as well as Soviet flags presented to foreign delegations. Among them are groups of donated flags from military units, workers, communist, youth, and children's organizations, as well as drawings of two flags that were carried during demonstrations. In the designs of foreign communist flags, a dialogue with Soviet flags is evident, particularly in the inscriptions, colors, and emblems, with characteristic national features apparent in the ornamentation and choice of fonts. The flags examined in the drawings are worthy historical sources and objects of visual and decorative-applied art. The introduction of this material into scientific discourse and comparative analysis allows for the identification of the artistic, stylistic, and meaningful distinctiveness of these samples.