Lenin Stained Glass Window, Oakland, California, 1970 -- Daily LIFT #113

Lenin Stained Glass Window, Oakland, California, 1970 -- Daily LIFT #113

The stained glass window that American economist Stanton R. Smith had commissioned for his house in Oakland for the centenary of Lenin's birth.

"In the window's center panel, Lenin rises above the Kremlin wall with the Soviet Red Flag unfurled behind him. The clock on the Kremlin's Tower is set at 12 minutes past 11, when on the night of October 24, 1917 the revolutionary sailors of the battleship Aurora fired their first shell over Leningrad's Winter Palace collapsing the government assembled within.

The four Cyrillic Russian words in the window express the theme of the Revolution:

'Lenin', the leader of the Revolution and of the first Soviet Government is inscribed on his tomb.

'Slava', Russian for glory or praise—to the Revolution and to Lenin inscribed on all revolutionary banners.

'Krasnaya', Russian for red and also for beautiful—a fortunate double meaning for the Revolution—even historic Krasnaya Ploshchad, Beautiful Square, becomes Red Square without a change of words.

'Mir', Russian for peace, the dominant call of the Revolution expressing all the people's desire."