Digital Edition – Nikolai Akimov – “Motley Tales” after Chekhov – 1960 – Leningrad State Comedy Theatre

Instant digital download of the rare and distinguished 1960 Soviet theatrical poster — Nikolai Akimov's design for his own production of Motley Tales (Пёстрые рассказы) after Anton Chekhov at the Leningrad State Comedy Theatre, created to mark the global centenary of Chekhov's birth (1860–1960). Download instantly and print at your preferred size and paper stock.

Akimov structured the entire composition around a giant cascading scroll of paper that doubles as a winding staircase, its folds populated with vivid caricature-style illustrations of classic Chekhovian characters — eccentric aristocrats with umbrellas, dashing bachelors, frantic carriage riders, and a hidden peering policeman — with “А. Чехов” stylised down the central white scroll. Designed in 1959 for the centenary season and printed for the 1960 run, this is one of the most inventive playbills in Akimov's celebrated four-decade catalogue — the work of a man who was simultaneously People's Artist of the USSR and one of Soviet graphic design's most distinctive voices.

Publication Details
Artist & Director: Nikolai Akimov (Николай Павлович Акимов), 1901–1968 — People's Artist of the USSR
Production: Motley Tales (Пёстрые рассказы) — after Anton Chekhov
Year: 1960 (designed 1959)
Theatre: Leningrad State Comedy Theatre, Leningrad (St. Petersburg), USSR
Original medium: Offset lithograph on paper
Style: Soviet Mid-Century / Theatrical Graphic Design
Original size: 68 × 98 cm (27″ × 39″)

What You Receive
1 high-resolution JPEG file
Print-ready at 300 DPI
Sized for printing at 24 × 36 in
Instant download after purchase
Personal use licence included

File Details
Format: JPEG
Resolution: 300 DPI
Print size: 24 × 36 in
Licence: Personal use only. Commercial reproduction, resale, or redistribution is strictly prohibited.