William O. Field (1904 - 1994), geographer, pioneer glaciologist, and a member of the American Geographical Society visited the Soviet Union three times between 1929 and 1933. During his first trip in 1929, Field traveled to Svanetia, a remote region in Georgia, located in the southern part of the Central Caucasus. His photographs capture the beauty of some of the highest Caucasus mountain peaks, such as Ushba, Tetnuld, and Shkhara. Field also became interested in the people of the region and documented their life as well as historical churches, towers, and settlements in Svanetia. He returned to the Soviet Union in 1931 and 1933. In addition to visiting Georgia, Field also traveled to Moscow and other Russian cities taking photographs of historical buildings and May 1st celebrations. In 1933 he visited remote areas of Dagestan taking pictures of hillside villages and the Dagestani people.
Images of Caucasus Region 1929-1933 presents over 700 images of Russia and the central Caucasus including the Republic of Georgia and Dagestan from the William O. Field Collection housed at the American Geographical Society Library. The photographic collection is supplemented by Field's diaries and travel notes, and a selection of maps of the Caucasus region.
