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Yakov Sverdlov Portrait Edit

Unknown

A formal lifetime photograph of Yakov Sverdlov used to depict him as Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.

This formal portrait represents Sverdlov in his official role as Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.

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Black-and-white portrait photograph of a man seated in a dark coat with herringbone pattern and a fur hat, wearing pince-nez glasses and a scarf, with one hand in his pocket. Wooden paneling is behind him.
Formal lifetime portrait of Yakov Sverdlov, photographer unknown.

About this source

What it is

This is a black-and-white portrait photograph of Yakov Sverdlov, seated in a dark herringbone coat and fur hat, wearing pince-nez glasses and a scarf. The photographer is unknown.

Why it matters

The image was used to represent Sverdlov in his role as Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, one of the highest state positions in early Soviet Russia. Such formal portraits helped build the public image of the new revolutionary leadership.

Look closer

  • What details of clothing suggest status or formality?
  • Why might this pose have been chosen for an official portrait?
  • What can't a single posed photograph tell us about a leader's actions?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Yakov Sverdlov on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Scanned black-and-white police record card with two mugshot photographs of a man, one in profile and one facing forward, a printed form with handwritten entries, and handwritten notes at the top right.Document

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Black-and-white photograph of a bespectacled man with dark hair, a mustache and a beard, seated in an upholstered chair at a desk. He wears a light-colored buttoned jacket and looks toward the camera. Papers and a notebook lie on the desk.Photograph

Primary source

Portrait of Yakov Sverdlov

1919

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