Comrade Lenin Gets a Bath..
September 6th, 2007
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Warning: More pics of old naked dead Soviet ahead…
When Vladimir Lenin died in 1924, he asked that there be no memorials to him and that his body be given a simple burial next to his wife. Although his intentions were pretty clear, the father of Soviet communism would not be put in the ground. Stalin and others high up in the party decided that Lenin could be of use for propaganda. And not just Lenin’s image, but his actual remains. The idea was hatched to have Lenin lie in state predominantly and become a sort of shrine to the Soviet Union. It’s theorized that in a system that opposed religion, having a shrine to the body of Lenin could, in some ways, take the place of more traditional religious gathering places. A design for a public mousolium was drawn up and it’s location was decided to be red square.
As it is today:
So preserve Lenin they must. The initial idea was to simply use a freezer, which seemed like a pretty effective way of keeping the dear comrade from going bad, but the plans to import the refrigeration system were taking too long, and Lenin was starting to.. deteriorate. It probably would not have been the best means anyway, because doing so would have left a rather frosty and pale looking corpse on display. So plan B: chemically embalm and preserve the leader.
Stopping the decay of his corpse, on the surface, doesn’t seem like that daunting of a challenge. If you pump it full of every highly toxic anti-microbial chemical you can find you’ll stop it from being consumed by bacteria, but that is not good enough for a body which is to be on display. Even without bacterial feasting on the flesh of Lenin, his body would dry out and fluids would begin to pool and drip. Not a very good thing for body which was supposed to represent the ideals of the state.
So what are the options?
- Traditional Mummification? No. Egyptian-style or other preservation relies on drying the flesh. Hardly leaves a presentable and peaceful-looking body.
- Formaldehydes or other chemical? No. The traditional method of keeping specimens would have Lenin swimming in a tank of formaldehyde, looking rather like a prune as the fluid discolored from leaching color out of his body. Not good.
- Stuffing? Doesn’t really preserve the body, but rather takes off the skin and preserves it, the internals are a framework or filler like sawdust. It’s hard to do well for anything which has bare skin, but works alright for furry animals. Doesn’t seem very dignified for Lenin.
- Plasterization or Paraffin infusion? These work great for keeping bodies in generally good condition by replacing the water in the body with wax or plastic. They were used for Eva Peron’s body and are used for medical specimens , but that’s another story. At the time though, they did not exist…
So what to do? Well, a team of scientists were assembled and began to work on the body. First thing: Take out most of the internal organs. Lenin’s….ahem… wedding tackle… was left in place, because that would just add insult to injury to take that off.. Next, address the issues of drying, which despite being kept on ice, were already causing problems. Lenin’s skin was turning grey and shriveled and his ears were very noticeably shriveled and bunched. The answer? Immersion in a solution of glycerin mixed with various preservative chemicals, which would infuse his body and give it a nice plump moist look. The exact procedure is a secret, but it is believed that the Lenin’s bod was treated with a combination of quinine chloride, formalin, formaldehyde and other chemicals, which, added to the glycerin and water solution, help inhibit microbial decay.
The only problem with this (aside from the fact that it doesn’t do a perfect job in keeping the flesh from yellowing and slowly deteriorating) is that the body needs regular upkeep. A special tomb was built for Lenin in Red Square, where he would lay in a glass casket for viewing by onlookers who can shuffle by. His body is kept at a constant temperature and at a high level of humidity. However, despite this, his body still needs constant servicing. Every two weeks or so, his hands and face are soaked in the glycerin solution to keep them from shriveling and his body is inspected for any decay. Occasionally he sprouts a little fungus or discolored splotches, which the embalmers bleach away with a dab of hydrogen peroxide.
Every year, the tomb is closed and the body is taken to the back rooms for its regular servicing. Lenin is given the once-over for any fungus or areas of deterioration, which are disinfected and touched up if necessary and he gets a dip in the glycerin embalming solution to keep him looking his best. Next, it’s a fresh new suit and back to his adoring public. During the Soviet era, the embalmers of Lenin had a coveted and highly prestigious job, but since the fall of communism the upkeep of the tomb and body have lost their state funding and are now paid by donations and visitors.
Bath time!
Um… if it were me doing this, I think I might consider gloves…
No peaking at the great leader’s bits and pieces!
Rub-a-dub-dub and dry off..
Now… a nice new stylish but comfortable suit…
(Under the suit, much of the body is wrapped in rubber bandages to help keep the fluids from leaking out)
There we go: Communist Eye for the dead guy! MAKEOVER!
The tomb remains open to this day daily from 9am to 1pm and visitors still file by the body. Inside, they can only get within a few feet and photography is generally prohibited. (Probably because they want you to buy postcards and stuff in the gift shop… [kidding]) The body is kept under very warm and soft lighting which makes the discolored hair and yellowed skin a bit less noticable. Lenin is said to look peaceful. Some say he looks like he is sleeping; others think he looks like a wax dummy.
Despite the obvious non-pristine of the corpse, the embalmers insist Lenin is doing quite well and that he can last a good century or more. But calls have been made to put Lenin to rest and end the 75 year show. Putin weighed in saying that it’s about time the guy gets a burial. Before him, Yeltsin had insisted it was time to put the relic of communism in the ground. But fanatical supporters of the tomb have, thus far, had their way and kept the leader in his glass case.
Interestingly, the tomb was shared with Stalin from his death in 1953 until 1961. Stalin fancied himself to be a revolutionary and every bit as important as Lenin, if not more so. But it wasn’t long before the “De-Stalinization” of the Soviet Union began. Even in Soviet Russia, they recognized Stalin for the mass murdering tyrant he was. But Lenin… there are still more than a few with a soft spot for the old comrade.
Links/Sources:
http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldleaders/a/stalinembalm.htm
http://www.aha.ru/~mausoleu/ (official website of the tomb)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenin’s_Mausoleum
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/264087.stm
http://www.deathonline.net/disposal/preservation/lenin.cfm
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n21_v46/ai_15930008
The images on this page were taken from images found online on multiple pages, including the Associated Press archive and other sites. They are believed to be public domain and are widely avaliable. The only exception to this are the embalming images which came from vidcaps posted a long time ago from a Russian documentary which ran once. It is unknown what the copyright of such a documentary would be, as it was created by Russian government-sponsored television and Russians don’t really respect intellectual property to begin with. The show ran once and was deemed to show a bit too much, it has since been censored from TV.
This entry was posted on Thursday, September 6th, 2007 at 10:49 am and is filed under Culture, History, Misc, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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October 11th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Interesting read but also kinda ewwwww..
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July 16th, 2009 at 8:35 am
Do you know about a precious old Antiques coin 1616 LIBBO? and about it’s worth in thousands of crores dollars………
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August 31st, 2009 at 9:16 pm
great article thank you
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November 15th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
very good article, very educational!
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March 22nd, 2010 at 7:03 pm
Those pictures of “Lenin Bathing” look fake to me, first if this picture is real then why are both of his hands open. When he is shown to the public one hand is closed (to symbolize your stupidity), but in your bathing photos both hands are open. Minutes after a person dies Rigor mortis starts to set in, which is caused by a chemical change in the muscles after death, causing the limbs of the corpse to become stiff and difficult to move or manipulate. In humans it commences after about 3 hours, reaches maximum stiffness after 12 hours. I am not saying that I know that this is not a picture of Lenin, but the hands, face, beard, and wrinkles don’t match to what I have seen first hand. You my friend should do more research.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 9:12 pm
It’s real. Rigor Mortis is temporary and certainly does not present in a body like his which has been denatured by the chemicals.
Here’s part of the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-iXUkXj8fw&feature
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July 6th, 2010 at 6:42 am
Lenin didn’t have no hair on his head, in the eight picture the body has hair on on the head lennin was bold how you match the photos my friend
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July 6th, 2010 at 9:02 am
sasha said:
He was not completely bald. His hair was very thin and primarily limited to a fringe, but he was not completely bald, as is evident in this photo taken just a year before his death.
http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/1i7aar4mqflvt/bwb4gl/lenin-in-1922.jpg
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August 15th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
hello, my english is not at good if you can no hear me i am sorry.
i think that when person dead they hair still gets longer.
i do not know this is real but i hear friend speak it to me.
mishca
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August 15th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
SOVIETMischa said:
As I understand it, the hair doesn’t grow. Rather, the skin recedes, so that hair which was previously inside the scalp comes out.
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August 15th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
Matthew said:
I concur. It is dehydration of the flesh that causes the skin to shrink. The effect of apparent post mortem hair growth it is said, is most pronounced on men with dense beards, where a ‘5 o’clock shadow’ can appear on a previously shaved face.
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August 16th, 2010 at 1:29 am
Well, in this case, Comrade Lenin is supposed to not get dehydrated. That’s kinda the whole point of giving him a bath. The corpse would otherwise dry out or at the very least the lack of circulation would cause the fluids to pool at the lowest point. Hence he is regularly infused with new fluid. The body is infused with a glycerol based solution and wrapped in rubber bandages to keep it from leaking.
Also, in this picture Comrade Lenin makes for an interesting cake: http://afterlives.blogspot.com/2009/08/addendum-to-post-on-lenins-corpse.html
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August 16th, 2010 at 2:17 am
Much as I don’t like to support the lunatic fringe, I will say that there’s some merit to a seeming inconsistency between those photos.
The photos of Lenin-in-case look recognisably like the chap who’s been the subject of so many history textbooks. Significant balding, impeccably groomed ‘tache ‘n’ goatee, flat forehead, enlarged frontal cranial area to store all that communist wisdom and intellect.
However, Lenin-getting-bath looks notably different. The hair is distinctly longer and wispier – much paler than the comrade’s usually appears too. The beard situation has clearly gotten out of hand – whilst dehydration would allow a 5 o’clock shadow you’d think that it had stopped by “bathtime” and that his attentive carers would have shaved the old boy to look his best. And the forehard doesn’t look right. It’s hard to be sure, but take a good look at the forehead angle in that second-to-last photo of the “drying off”. Compare it with the angle of the nose – bathtime Lenin seems to have a forehead roughly parallel to his nose. Now go to the first photo of Lenin interred and check that big flat forehead again.
Oh, and while you’re there, go have a look at the ears.
However, it’s hard to genuinely suspect conspiracy to fabricate Lenin’s body (in Soviet Russia conspiracy makes up you! – sorry) as there could be dozens of different things at work. Let’s start with: those photos of Lenin-in-case were probably taken decades ago and are simply the stock photos distributed today, given you can’t go and take photos of him there’s no chance of competing images getting out.
But actually I’m inclined to put forward a different theory. I’m going to say it. I don’t think that’s Lenin taking a “bath”. Which isn’t to say I don’t think he’s preserved like that. I just think that those photos weren’t of him. Because I rather suspect they’re of Stalin.
http://www.russiablog.org/2006/04/lenins_body_to_be_buried_in_20.php
Take a look at the photo at the bottom, showing Stalin in profile. Then again at that “drying off” photo. To my mind (small and shrivelled as it is) the man taking a bath is Stalin and the error is simply one of either the documentary makers or translators in not properly explaining which one is in that footage.
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August 16th, 2010 at 8:48 am
I’mnotreallyhere said:
I don’t know if this has anything to do with it, but supposedly Lenin’s brain was removed. This would have been done by making an incision around the head at forehead level with a bonesaw. It’s common practice for autopsies. In Lenin’s case, the Soviets said they wanted to study his brain to try to discover what made him such a genius.
As the removal of the brain leaves a fairly dramatic incision behind, it can b a bit difficult to deal with when a body has to be made presentable, such as for an open-casket wake. Mortitions usually use a combination of wax and makeup to cover and hide it. He may therefore have a good quarter inch of wax and makeup on his forehead. I don’t know if they redo it when he is bathed. It’s likely that it’s at least partially redone.
Also, while the pictures of the bath/servicing are fairly recent, I have no idea how old the photos of the body laying in state are.
I’mnotreallyhere said:
Stalin was supposedly burred some time ago.
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August 17th, 2010 at 3:33 am
Well it’d depend on the age of the documentary clearly, it can’t be Stalin if he’d already been buried. Interesting thought on the brain removal, it seems an odd way to treat the old comrade.
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August 20th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
Interesting pictures, but do you have any pictures of dead American presidents? That would be just as awesome, too, like a dead Ronnie Reagan or George Bush, plus with funny comments, like dead Reagan’s anus being shown, or George Bush’s wrinkled old dead balls. You could add funny comments just like you do here. Awesome, dude!
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August 20th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Hithwith Thitheth said:
Well, if the Americans lovingly preserved and displayed the bodies of their dead presidents like pagan idols, he might be able to. Unlike the Soviets/Russians, they don’t.
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August 20th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
Hithwith Thitheth said:
Uh.. in general, American presidents are not preserved and out on show for the public to gawk at. The (partial) exception to this would be Lincoln, who was buried but only after a nation-wide funeral tour that took months. However, no official photo session was ever granted and at the time it wasn’t as easy as taking out a camera and snapping a picture. Despite this, there was one photo taken which can be seen here: http://www.assustador.com.br/show.php?pid=503&page=1
I do have these pictures in my “conspiracy” folder of John F Kennedy: http://www.celebritymorgue.com/jfk/jfk-autopsy.html
There are others and more detailed ones if you want to go looking for them.
We do have movies and photos of him actually getting killed too.
There’s also the death mask of Ulysses S. Grant: http://www.undyingfaces.com/Masks/Grant.jpg
Hithwith Thitheth said:
George Bush is alive, idiot.
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September 1st, 2010 at 3:49 am
drbuzz0 said:
Fixed
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September 1st, 2010 at 7:02 am
Matthew said:
Was the embalming and display of Lenin’s body perhaps a jab against the Russian Orthodox Church?
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November 21st, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Hi, this pictures were taken from series of tv documents that showed how kremlin lab technicians were taking care of lenin’s body;
there is a major lab under the mausoleum with number of kept “mummies” to keep experiment going;
the lab technicians used one or two of the mummies (that you’ve already seen in the pics) to show a process of embalming.
the lenin’s body wasn’t showed in the process. why? it could be command from the top or fear of offending those who still admires him.
hope that helped.
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April 26th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
mnogo velik 4ovek s pravo go pazqt o6te
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June 22nd, 2011 at 10:19 am
[...] http://depletedcranium.com/comrade-lenin-gets-a-bath/ [...]
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December 12th, 2011 at 8:21 am
Beautiful mausoleum. It looks big, rich, ostensible, while a big part of USSR’s population barely had its primal needs fulfilled. That’s communism, my friends.
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February 8th, 2012 at 6:37 pm
Bathing Lenin can’t be him. The hair is too high on his head, the hands are open, plus there are other incosistencies. It is probably a “test” corpse used to show the process.
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