Workwear locker

During the first half of the twentieth century, workers at GES-2 were given two sets of overalls—a everyday set, and a smart set, in white. As the Soviet Union declined, even simple overalls became scarсe, but a new use was found for their lockers—it was here that the drinks prohibited at work were stored. As one worker remembered: “A shift supervisor approached me, winking, ‘Sanya, are you in? ’ ‘Alright.’ ‘Well, get yourself to the tavern, open the cupboard.’ Somehow all of this drinking did not seem to affect our work much. Most importantly, we had no accidents.”

Lockers in the changing room of the office annex, 2016
Photo by Ilya Ivanov