Thirty-eight loose gelatin silver photos, mostly ca. 12x17 cm (4 ½ x 6 ½ in) or slightly smaller; six smaller images are from ca. 9,5x15 cm (4 ¾ x 5 ¾ in) to ca. 8x11 cm (3 ¼ x 4 ¼ in). Four photos are captioned in negative, three with period ink stamps on verso, over a dozen with period or later pencil or ink captions on verso. A couple of photos with minor creases or chips on the corners, three photos with the residue of old mounts on verso, but overall a very good collection of strong interesting photos.

Attractive collection of early original photographs of views and scenes of Soviet Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan taken by the talented Tashkent photographer, Ivan Panov. In the 1920s-1930s, he worked for the Soviet State Art Publishing House (Izogiz), and is known for his views of Central Asia, Chelyabinsk, Moscow, Black Sea resorts, &c.

Over a dozen identified photographs of Soviet Turkmenistan include seven views of Ashgabat taken before the city was heavily destroyed during the 1948 earthquake. The images show the Institute of Turkmen Culture (decorated with the sculptures of two reading Turkmens), a cinema theatre on the same street, the Turkmen Bacteriological Institute, building of the textile factory under construction (built in 1924), Ashgabat water tower built after a project by a noted Soviet architect Vladimir Shukhov, city streets. There are also interesting views of the Tomb of Sultan Ahmad Sanjar and the Great Kyz Kala fortress in the ruins of the medieval city of Merv, a scene in a chaikhana (teahouse) in the nearby Mary, portraits of Baloch people (taken in Bayramali), carpet sellers, a grape harvester, a scene with drying silkworm cocoons, &c.

Eight identified images of Soviet Uzbekistan show Tashkent (State Bank, Chief Central Asian Museum – now the Museum of Uzbekistan History, a mosque), Andijan (Communist Party headquarters, rice market), Bukhara (an inner courtyard), portraits of a family from Varzaminor (Zakhmat-Abad) and a hookah smoker. Six identified views of Soviet Kyrgyzstan show Przhevalsk (now Karakol) on Lake Issyk-Kul (entrance to the Federation Park, monument to Nikolay Przhevalsky on Lake Issyk-Kul), a Soviet camp-type resort in Koisara on the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul (yurts of the resort guests), a street scene in Aravan and portraits of Kyrgyz families mounted on horses. The other photos show families, men drinking tea, dancing, pilin traditional breads, &c.

Overall an interesting collection of original photos, documenting the early Soviet years in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.