Progressive Women without Veils on the Street, Stalinabad [Dushanbe, Tajikistan], October 27-November 25, 1932

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In this photograph, Jacobi captures a group of unveiled women walking down a street in Stalinabad. Following the 1927 unveiling campaign appropriately titled the “hujum,” or “assault,” thousands of women unveiled, demonstrating a symbolic and physical rebellion against tradition and religion. This action did not go unpunished, as many faced violence and rejection from their own spouses and families. However, unveiling was not always a woman’s choice, as many men felt that it was their responsibility to liberate their wives, sisters, and daughters by forcing them to unveil.