The article looks at the experience of identification and development of artistically gifted students in the framework of Soviet education in the 1920–1940s. The issue is examined in historical retrospective. The authors focus on the identification of children who are gifted in the sphere of visual arts. The research is based on the international collection of children’s drawings (1896–2017) at the FSBSI “Institute of Art Education and Cultural Studies of the Russian Academy of Education”. As a result of the research, the authors determined the preferable age for providing occupational guidance to children who are motivated for artistic creative activity. In addition, methods for identification of artistic giftedness have been suggested.