In the poster propaganda produced during the Russian Civil War (1917-1922) men were overrepresented as workers, peasants, and combat heroes, and when women were shown, it was often either to symbolize an abstract concept (Ex. Mother Russia, “freedom”) or as nurses and victims. The symbolic women would be depicted as feminine -- wearing long dresses, long hair, and bare breasts. On the other hand, the image of the urban proletariat, the group which brought the Bolsheviks to power was characterized by masculinity, physical strength, and dignity and were usually shown as blacksmiths.