Large format, measuring 9 ¾" x 13 ¼". The decorative frame and centerpiece are hand-painted or, at the very least, colored by hand. The commendation cites Elena Demyanovskaya, an employee of the Military Topography Department of the O.K.D.V.A. (Russian abbreviation for Separate Red Banner Far Eastern Army), for active public and political work among the women of the Third Cartographic Factory, and on occasion of the 14th anniversary of the International Communist Women's Day.

The word "communist" here was just an outcry of political enthusiasm on the part of the Far Eastern topographers. The Socialist Party of America designated 8 March as International Women's Day in honor of the 1908 strike of New York garment workers, who at that time, obviously, happened to be almost 100% women. The strikers demanded shorter workday, better pay, and voting rights. The Bolsheviks adopted this day right after the 1917 revolution to engage women in political activity. No demands of higher pay or shorter work hours, but lots of solidarity with the poor female victims of the imperialistic sharks of the West.

Sounds similar to International Workers' Day on 1 May, doesn't it? It is often referred to as May Day. We hear these two words quite often on TV when something catastrophic is about to happen. May Day! May Day! Not very surprising, either, if you remember the Chicago Haymarket bloodbath in 1886 which gave rise to this "holiday".

The document is in very good condition. The margins show traces of former framing, and mild faint soiling. The wear does not reach the artwork or the text. The edges are not frayed and show no significant wear, except for a small piece missing near the upper right-hand corner. The verso shows some stains and a glue line along the edges, left over from previous mounting or framing, irrelevant on the verso but useful in that it reinforces the edges.

Please note that the pen in our photo is for size reference.