PORTRAITS & PERSONALITIES
“Ah! Portraiture, portraiture, with the thought, the soul of the model in it, that is what I think must come.” ~ Vincent van Gogh
Yaqueline, an indigenous Wayuu girl
Yaqueline, a 4-year-old indigenous Wayuu girl, plays 'hide and seek' with her Aunt Edicta in Maracaibo City in the north-western state of Zulia, Venezuela. Edicta has Down's Syndrome. In 2006 in Venezuela, the standard of living has improved for many children, thanks in large part to economic growth and revenues from the oil industry. Poverty, chronic malnutrition and infant mortality have decreased.Nevertheless, many communities, particularly indigenous populations and the urban poor, continue to be marginalized socially and economically. ©UNICEF/NYHQ2006-2417/Susan Markisz
Youth activist Minahil Sarfraz
On 19 September 2016, 15-year-old Minahil Sarfraz, a refugee youth activist from Pakistan stands beneath a mural at United Nations Headquarters.
Dorcus Parit, Masai activist
Dorcus Parit, a Masai activist from Kajiado County, Kenya, participates in the conference “Leaving No One Behind for Plant 50/50 by 2030,” a dialogue with civil society, rural women leaders and activists and rural leaders in New York City on March 15, 2018. Married for 16 years, with five children, she is an advocate for ending child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) in her community, working with the NGO Hope Beyond. While FGM is illegal in Kenya, young girls are often taken to neighboring Tanzania where it is performed and girls are returned to Kenya to marry, often at a young age. Working with chiefs of her community and the police, the NGO has helped hundreds of girls avoid FGM in her community alone. Dorcus is wearing her traditional Masai wedding dress. The event was convened to discuss policy standards necessary in leaving no one behind and what this means for rural women and girls, during the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62) meeting in New York City. © UN Women/Susan Markisz
Photo: UN Women/Susan Markisz
Stevie Wonder and Crystal
Vietnamese advocate and performer Nguyen Phuong Anh (Crystal), 16, chats with UN Messenger of Peace Stevie Wonder at United Nations HQ, during a meeting to jointly promote greater inclusion of children and international action to invest in children with disabilities on 23 September 2013. Phuong Anh was born with osteogenis imperfecta, a genetic disorder that causes fragile bones. She has broadcast radio messages at Voice of Vietnam since the age of 8 and continues to deliver her message to help children with disabilities. ©UNICEF/NYHQ2013-0635/Susan Markisz
Nobel Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu is interviewed at UNICEF House following the launch of the publication "Children and Transitional Justice: Truth-Telling, Accountability and Reconciliation," on 9 March 2010. The publication explores judicial processes and accountability for crimes perpetrated against children.
©UNICEF/NYHQ2010-0358/Markisz
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Shakira
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and internationally renowned singer songwriter Shakira, at United Nations Headquarters on 22 September 2015. ©UNICEF/NYHQ2015/Susan Markisz
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan sits in his office at UN headquarters, following the announcement that he and UN won the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize, in September 2001. ©UN Photo/Susan Markisz
Bill Gates Microsoft Chairman and CEO
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates greets other public and private sector leaders in a Public-Private Partnership Dialogue during the Special Session on Children at the United Nations on May 9, 2002.
©UNICEF/NYHQ2002-0170/Susan Markisz
Phyllis Fagan Breast cancer survivor
Breast cancer survivor Phyllis Fagan, who lost her hair to chemotherapy, proudly sits for a portrait after going into a barbershop and asking him to shave off her remaining hair. ©Susan Markisz
Jamaica schoolgirl
A schoolgirl listens to a discussion on non-violence at the Eastern Peace Centre in the parish of Kingston and St. Andrew, Jamaica. The Centre provides recreational activities, life-skills and conflict-resolution training and safe spaces for young people in violence-affected communities. ©UNICEF/NYHQ2008-0279/Susan Markisz
Nelson Mandela
On 7 May 2002, former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela holds aloft a document of stories from around the world on how some of the almost 95 million 'Say Yes for Children' pledges were gathered, at the close of the 'Say Yes' celebration, part of the closing event of the Children's Forum at the Manhattan Center in New York City. © UNICEF/NYHQ2002-0130/Markisz
Indigenous Wayuu mother and baby
Celina, an indigenous Wayuu woman, holds her 6-month-old daughter Yenyiruska at their home in Maracaibo City in the north-western state of Zulia, Venezuela in 2006. ©UNICEF/NYHQ2006-2416/Markisz.
Trenchtown Jamaica Children
Children from Kingston, Jamaica, smile for the camera. ©UNICEF/2008/Susan Markisz
UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka at United Nations Headquarters on 9 March 2015. ©UN Women/Susan Markisz
Indigenous Wayuu Girl, Annieli Benen Finol
Annieli Belen Finol, 15, a member of the indigenous Wayuu group, prepares for a traditional dance performance, in the town of Paraguaipoa in the north-western state of Zulia in 2006. UNICEF supports the community through peer networks, as well as youth-produced radio programming featuring Wayuu language and culture.
©UNICEF/NYHQ2006-2430/Susan Markisz
Dorcus Parit, Masai Acitivist
Dorcus Parit, a Masai activist from Kajiado County, Kenya, participates in the conference “Leaving No One Behind for Plant 50/50 by 2030,” a dialogue with civil society, rural women leaders and activists and rural leaders in New York City on March 15, 2018. Married for 16 years, with five children, she is an advocate for ending child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) in her community, working with the NGO Hope Beyond. While FGM is illegal in Kenya, young girls are often taken to neighboring Tanzania where it is performed and girls are returned to Kenya to marry, often at a young age. Working with chiefs of her community and the police, the NGO has helped hundreds of girls avoid FGM in her community alone. Dorcus is wearing her traditional Masai wedding dress. The event was convened to discuss policy standards necessary in leaving no one behind and what this means for rural women and girls, during the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62) meeting in New York City. © UN Women/Susan Markisz
Photo: UN Women/Susan Markisz
Mrs. Ban Ki moon
Portrait of Mrs. Ban Ki moon at the residence of UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon during the - 66th Session of the General Assembly on September 21, 2011. © UN Photo/Susan Markisz
Maroons Matriarch
Maroons Matriarch, 86-year-old Sara. She and her wonderful cooking provided the inspiration for her granddaughter Arlene Weston's Chelsea, New York Jamaican/Southern American restaurant, Maroons. ©2005/Susan Markisz
Watching over baby brother
Wilmer, an 8-year-old boy from the indigenous Wayuu group, looks after his infant brother at a shelter in Paraguaipoa in the north-western state of Zulia Venezuela. He and his family were displaced by flooding. ©UNICEF/2006/SusanMarkisz
Indigenous Wayuu advocate
A coordinator of the UNICEF-assisted 'Red de las Mujeres Indigenas' ('Indigenous Women's Network') visits Laguna de Sinamaica, a lagoon in Paez Municipality in the north-western state of Zulia, Venezuela. Approximately 3,500 members of the Anu indigenous group live in the area. She and other volunteers advocate for the rights of all indigenous people, performing community outreach and encouraging young people to maintain their language, culture and sense of identity. ©UNICEF/2006/Susan Markisz
Danielle and Jenny pose for a portrait.
Danielle and Jenny share a loving moment during a portrait session. ©Susan Markisz
UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy
UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy speaks during a press conference at UN headquarters. ©UNICEF/Susan Markisz
END violence hashtag
President of the 2014 UNICEF Executive Board (and Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations) Ambassador Macharia Kamau shows the #ENDviolence hashtag stamped on his palm, in support of the End Violence against Children initiative, at the United Nations.
©UNICEF/NYHQ2014-0101/Susan Markisz
Indigenous Bolivian woman vendor, La Paz
An indigenous woman wearing a traditional bowler hat and shawl, sells colorful textiles along Calle Sacarnaga in La Paz, Bolivia, on May 1, 2014. © Susan Markisz
Jonathan Tasini, plaintiff, NYTimes vs.Tasini
Jonathan Tasini, a freelance writer and President of the National Writers Union, poses in front of a lithograph of a late 19th century workers' protest. Tasini sued the New York Times for copyright infringement, and won on appeal in United States Supreme Court. March 15, 2001. ©Susan Markisz for The New York Times.
American Indian Movement Activist
American Indian Movement Activist and member of the Apache Nation.. ©Susan B. Markisz
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Danny Glover
American Actor and Producer, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Danny Glover, outside a childcare center in Lima, Peru. ©UNICEF/Susan Markisz
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Whoopi Goldberg
On 27 October 2005, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Whoopi Goldberg visits UNICEF House to record a public service announcement to promote the launch of the Global Campaign on Children and AIDS. © UNICEF/2005/Markisz
Bass Player John Robinson
Bass player John Robinson, jammed with the Valerie Capers Quartet at the first ever jazz concert at the Russian Mission to the United Nations in the Bronx, in 1997.
China Blue Sky
A young dancer from the China Blue Sky Troupe performs a traditional dance at UNICEF House in New York City. UNICEF/NYHQ2007-0172/Susan Markisz
Christopher Fabian innovator
On 10 April 2013, UNICEF Innovation Advisor Christopher Fabian tosses a three-dimensionally printed gear, at UNICEF House. Mr. Fabian was selected for the 2013 Time Magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. © UNICEF/NYHQ2013-0181/Markisz
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela waves to child delegates from around the world at the Manhattan Center on W. 34th Street, during the Children's Forum, where young delegates prepared for their participation in the United Nations Special Session on Children on May 7, 2002. ©UNICEF/2002/Susan Markisz
Maroons Matriarch
86-year-old Sara's wonderful cooking provided the inspiration for her granddaughter Arlene Weston's Chelsea, New York Jamaican/Southern American restaurant, Maroons. ©2005/Susan Markisz
Through the window
Cesar, 12, a 6th-grade student, smiles as he peers through a cement block window of a classroom at La Union Educational Institute Secondary School in the northern municipality of Lorica,, Colombia. ©UNICEF/NYHQ2009-1842/Susan Markisz
Shakira
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and internationally renowned singer songwriter Shakira prepares to record a public service announcement for UNICEF in 2005. ©UNICEF/2005/Susan Markisz
Yurali Rodriguez, indigenous Anu girl
Yurali Rodriguez, a 10-year-old indigenous Añu girl, participates in a UNICEF-supported Añu language and culture class at the home of a neighbour in Laguna de Sinamaica, a lagoon in Paez Municipality in the north-western state of Zulia. Some 3,500 Anu live in the area, but their numbers, as well as their culture and language, are declining due to poverty, lack of education and environmental pollution that is eroding the ecosystem that sustains them. ©UNICEF/NYHQ2006-2421/Markisz
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Serena Williams
US tennis champion and newly appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Serena Williams visits UNICEF House on 20 September 2011. ©UNICEF/NYHQ2011-0201/Susan Markisz
Shipibo Conibo community leader
A community leader in the indigenous Shipibo-Conibo community of Nuevo Saposoa in the eastern province of Coronel Portillo in Ucayali Region in the Peruvian Amazon. ©UNICEF/2010/Susan Markisz
Shipibo-girl-Nuevo-Saposoa
A girl from the indigenous Shipibo-Conibo community of Nuevo Saposoa stands together with other members of her community in the eastern province of Coronel Portillo in Ucayali Region in the Peruvian Amazon. ©UNICEF/2010/Susan Markisz
Adolescent delegate – UN Forum
Urapinã Pataxó (also called Danilo de Jesus Lacerda), 15, from the indigenous village of Pataxó de Coroa Vermelha in Brazil’s north-eastern Bahia State, attends a gathering at UNICEF House on 22 April 2010. Urapinã is among indigenous delegates attending a UN Forum meeting. ©UNICEF/2010/Susan Markisz
Royal Flanders Ballerina
A ballerina with the Royal Flanders Ballet mends her pointe shoes before going onstage in a performance of "The Three Muskateers" at SUNY Purchase on March 21, 2001. ©Susan Markisz for The New York Times
Girl with Mask ©Susan Markisz
Girl with Mask ©Susan Markisz
Shipibo Conibo Mother and Son
A woman stands with her young child, from the indigenous Shipibo-Conibo community of Nuevo Saposoa in the eastern province of Coronel Portillo in Ucayali Region in the Peruvian Amazon. ©UNICEF/2010/Susan Markisz
Smiling boy in cowboy hat
Conor Romero, 4, wearing his grandfather's cowboy hat, several sizes too large, smiles broadly during a portrait session. ©Susan Markisz
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II celebrates Mass at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. ©Susan Markisz
Tennis Ace and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Roger Federer
A portrait of tennis world champion and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Roger Federer at UNICEF House in August 2007. ©UNICEF/NYHQ2007/Susan Markisz
Former Vice President Al Gore
Former US Vice-President Al Gore attends a conference at the United Nations. ©Susan B. Markisz
Lucy Liu, UNICEF National Ambassador
UNICEF Ambassador Lucy Liu is interviewed by the media at a press conference at the TAP Water Project at Esquire Magazine on March 19, 2008. ©UNICEF/2008/Susan Markisz
Añu mother with her daughter Georgita
An indigenous Añu woman sits inside her home with her 1-year-old daughter Georgita, in Laguna de Sinamaica, a lagoon in Paez Municipality in the north-western state of Zulia. The Añu live in traditional homes called 'palafitos', built on wooden poles or stilts made from tree roots and palm leaves that grow in the lagoon. ©UNICEF/NYHQ2006-1138/Susan Markisz
Dorcus Parit, Masai Activist
Dorcus Parit, a Masai activist from Kajiado County, Kenya, participates in the conference “Leaving No One Behind for Plant 50/50 by 2030,” a dialogue with civil society, rural women leaders and activists and rural leaders in New York City on March 15, 2018. Married for 16 years, with five children, she is an advocate for ending child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) in her community, working with the NGO Hope Beyond. While FGM is illegal in Kenya, young girls are often taken to neighboring Tanzania where it is performed and girls are returned to Kenya to marry, often at a young age. Working with chiefs of her community and the police, the NGO has helped hundreds of girls avoid FGM in her community alone. Dorcus is wearing her traditional Masai wedding dress. The event was convened to discuss policy standards necessary in leaving no one behind and what this means for rural women and girls, during the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62) meeting in New York City. © UN Women/Susan Markisz