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Paul Robeson in 1941

    Iconic black and white photo portrait of a smiling Paul Robeson at roughly age 43, seated at an angle facing the camera, with both legs on the floor and his left arm on his chair’s armrest. He wears a dark suit jacket with wide lapels.

    Yousuf Karsh’s portrait of Paul Robeson, Ottawa, Canada, 1941. Karsh took this iconic photo the same year that the FBI launched its surveillance and sustained harassment of Robeson and his family.

    1941
    Copyright
    Estate of Yousuf Karsh, use compliant with Estate’s terms of usage
    Attribution/Credit

    National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Estrellita Karsh gift to NPG