Skip to content

May Day 1968

May Day in Lviv, Ukraine (1968) – Photo: Pavliuk Ilya

It was taken in Lviv, Ukraine, on May 1, 1968 by photographer Pavliuk Ilya. The image depicts a schoolgirl, whom her parents brought to the May Day demonstration. The girl’s face shows that she is not so happy with this fact, becoming the protagonist of numerous jokes and memes, since around the 2010s.

About her identity, according to Flashbak, many note its similarity with Vera Serdyuchka, former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, and Nadezhda Savchenko and even ex-parliamentarian Irina Fariion. But it’s nothing conclusive at the moment. Who is the sulky girl?

May Day in Lviv, Ukraine (1968) – Photo: Pavliuk Ilya

More on
photomuseum.lviv.ua

4 thoughts on “May Day 1968 Leave a comment

  1. Amazing photo. I think the shape and texture of the balloons kick it over the top, which also providing a metaphor for transience and fragility concomitant with growth. There’s a sea of adults in a political rally, and yet the focus is on a detached little girl, somewhat oblivious, high on a ledge above. It all works so well.

    Like

Leave a comment