Historical Political Figures

Vintage portraits of notable political figures in early 20th century attire, featuring formal clothing and serious expressions, highlighting key moments in history.

Vajiravudh or Rama VI (1 January 1881 25 November 1925) was the sixth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1910 until his death

China, Beijing. Tienanmen Square. Portrait Of Mao Zedong

Anefo photo collection. Mikimoto De Parelkoning at Schiphol, here with his wife. April 28, 1966. Noord-Holland, Schiphol

Norodom Sihanouk (born 31 October 1922) was the King of Cambodia from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his semi-retirement and voluntary abdication on 7 October 2004 in favour of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni. Since his abdication he has been known as The King-Father of Cambodia, a position in which he retains many of his former responsibilities as constitutional monarch.

Rear Admiral Thawal Thamrong Navaswadhi, also spelled Thawal Thamrongnavasawat, (November 21, 1901December 3, 1988) was the 8th Prime Minister of Thailand from 1946-1947. A career naval officer of Chinese ancestry, Admiral Thamrong was a leading member of the anti-Japanese Seri Thai resistance movement during World War II. He became Thailand's elected Prime Minister on August 23, 1946, replacing Khuang Abhaiwongse. However, he was removed from office by a military coup orchestrated by Field Marshall Plaek Pibulsonggram on November 8, 1947. Pibulsonggram then assumed the post of prime minister once more.

Hồ Chí Minh, born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc (19 May 1890 - 3 September 1969) was a Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader who was prime minister (1946-1955) and president (1945-1969) of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). He formed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and led the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War until his death. Hồ led the Viet Minh independence movement from 1941 onward, establishing the communist-governed Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and defeating the French Union in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu. He lost political power inside North Vietnam in the late 1950s, but remained as the highly visible figurehead president until his death.

Chairman Mao in Yenan. (1944) Mao Zedong (1893 - September 9, 1976), was a Chinese communist revolutionary who became the founding father of the People's Republic of China (PRC), which he ruled as the Chairman of the Communist Party of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death

Mao Zedong (1893 - September 9, 1976), was a Chinese communist revolutionary who became the founding father of the People's Republic of China (PRC), which he ruled as the Chairman of the Communist Party of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death

General Chu Teh. Zhu De (1 December 1886 - 6 July 1976) was a Chinese general, military strategist, politician, revolutionary of the Chinese Communist Party.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Appointed commander of the Combined Fleet in 1939. He contributed to the development of the Japanese naval and air forces and conceived the attack on Pearl Harbour.

Photograph of Sukarno (1901-1970) the first President of Indonesia. Dated 20th Century

Jiang Qing (Chiang Ch'ing, March 1914 - May 14, 1991) was the pseudonym that was used by Chinese leader Mao Zedong's last wife and major Communist Party of China power figure. She went by the stage name Lan Ping during her acting career, and was known by various other names during her life. She married Mao in Yan'an in November 1938, and is sometimes referred to as Madame Mao in Western literature, serving as Communist China's first first lady. Jiang Qing was most well-known for playing a major role in the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) and for forming the radical political alliance known as the 'Gang of Four'. When Mao died in 1976, Jiang lost the support and justification for her political activities. She was arrested in October 1976 by Hua Guofeng and his allies, and was subsequently accused of being counter-revolutionary. Though initially sentenced to death, her sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 1983, however, and in May 1991 she was released for medical treatment. Befor

Bhumibol Adulyadej (Phumiphon Adunyadet; born 5 December 1927) is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX (and within the Thai royal family and to close associates simply as Lek. Having reigned since 9 June 1946, he is the world's longest-serving current head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history.

Prajadhipok Phra Pok or Rama VII (8 November 1893 30 May 1941). King of Siam (Thailand from 1925-1935

Li Hongzhang, Li Hung Tschang, 15 February 1823, 7 November 1901, was a Chinese general who ended several major rebellions. As viceroy of Zhili, he was one of the most powerful statesmen in late Qing-era China, Historical, digitally restored reproduction of a 19th-century original, exact date not known

Anefo photo collection. Arrival Secretary General of the World Council of Churches Dr. Carson Blake at Schiphol, Mr. Tahi B. Simatupang (Chairman Indonesian Council of Churches). April 11, 1967. Noord-Holland, Schiphol

Ángel Pestaña (1886-1937). Workers' leader in August 1937. Madrid, Military Historical Archives. Author: GNECCOA J. Location: ARCHIVO HISTORICO MILITAR. MADRID.

Arrest of "Tokyo Rose" Ordered -- Arrest of Mrs. Iva Toguri D'Aquino, 32, (above) on a treason charge has been ordered by Atty Gen. Tom Clark. Mrs. D'Aquino, pictured in Tokyo Aug. 17, is alleged to be the "Tokyo Rose" who broadcast Japanese propaganda in the recent war. She is to be brought to the United States for trial. August 20, 1948. (Photo by AP Wirephoto)

KENJI MIZOGUCHI.

Anefo photo collection. Portraits. October 1, 1968

Deng Xiaoping (1904 - 1997), was a Chinese politician who was the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China from 1978 until his retirement in 1992. After Chairman Mao Zedong's death in 1976, Deng led China through far-reaching market-economy reforms and has been called the "Architect of Modern China."

Prince Itō Hirobumi, (藤博文, October 16, 1841 - October 26, 1909, also called Hirofumi / Hakubun and Shunsuke in his youth) was a samurai of Chōshū domain, Japanese statesman, four time Prime Minister of Japan (the 1st, 5th, 7th and 10th), genrō and Resident-General of Korea. Itō was assassinated by Korean independence activist An Jung-geun in 1909.

Portrait of Shigeru Yoshida, circa 1888-1890. Shigeru Yoshida (1878 20 October 1967) Japanese diplomat and politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1954

Heng Samrin (born 1934) is a Cambodian politician. He was the chairman of the People's Republic of Kampuchea and the State of Cambodia (1979-1993), and later vice chairman (1998-2006) and chairman of the National Assembly of Cambodia since 2006.

Chinese leaders Mao Zhe Dung and Zhou En Lai confer. 1960

Hồ Chí Minh, born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc (19 May 1890 - 3 September 1969) was a Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader who was prime minister (1946-1955) and president (1945-1969) of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). He formed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and led the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War until his death. Hồ led the Viet Minh independence movement from 1941 onward, establishing the communist-governed Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and defeating the French Union in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu. He lost political power inside North Vietnam in the late 1950s, but remained as the highly visible figurehead president until his death.

Zhou was born Su Pu (), but was separated from her natural parents at a young age and raised by adoptive parents. She spent her entire life searching for her biological parents but her parentage was never established until after her death. According to later family research, a relative who was an opium addict took her at the age of 3 to another city and sold her to a family named Wang, who named her Wang Xiaohong. She was later adopted by a family named Zhou, changing her name to Zhou Xiaohong. At the age of 13 she took Zhou Xuan as her stage name, 'Xuan' () meaning 'beautiful jade' in Chinese. Zhou started acting in 1935, but she achieved stardom in 1937 in Street Angel, when director Yuan Muzhi cast her as one of the leads as a singing girl. 'Golden Voice' () was Zhou's nickname to commend her singing talents after a singing competition in Shanghai, where she came in second. Zhou rapidly became the most famous and marketable popular singer in the gramophone era up to her death,

Mao Zedong, Chinese Communist revolutionary and leader, c1950s(). Artist: Unknown

Elsevier photo collection. Sutan Sjahrir, former Prime Minister Republic Indonesia, adviser Republican Degment Ter R.t.C. 1948. Hague, Indonesia, Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

Hideki Tojo, Prime Minister of Japan, born in Tokyo: Executed in 1948

Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Philippines from 1965-1986. Lived between 1917-1989. Was a lawyer, Member of the Senate, President of the senate all before becoming President in 1965.

New Empress Of Manchukuo.***** Striking picture of the beautiful Mrs. Henry Pu-Yi, who, ***** will share with her husband, "the boy-emperor" the honours ***** Emperor and Empress of the new state of Manchukuo. April 11, 1934. (Photo by Keystone)

Anefo photo collection. Arrival of General Nasution of Indonesia at Schiphol. Nasution. May 3, 1971. Noord-Holland, Schiphol

Japan: The artist Kasho Tatabatake (1888-1966) as a young man, c. 1915

China: Yang Tseng-hsin (1859-1928), Governor of Sinkiang 1911-28, in the mid-1920s

Anefo photo collection. Portrait of guessing adil puradiredjo, Prime Minister of Pasoendan. December 20, 1948

Miss Kay Fukuda, U.S.C.N., Ansel Adams

Still Fight Reds.These Recent Portraits Show Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and his wife, whose Anti-Communist Hold out government on Formosa is reported to be growing in strength after years of defeat. February 15, 1955. (Photo by Associated Press Photo).

Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai during his Report on the Work of the Government at the First Plenary Session of the Fourth National People's Congress in January 1975. He reiterated the realization of the great goal of 'four modernizations' to the people of all nationalities of China at the session.

Zhou Enlai (1898 - 1976), Premier of the People's Republic of China. Zhou was China's head of government, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman Mao Zedong and was instrumental in the Communist Party's rise to power, and later in consolidating its control, forming foreign policy, and developing the Chinese economy.

DARIO, RUBEN ( FELIX RUBEN GARCIA SARMIENTO ) ESCRITOR NICARAGUENSE 1867-1916 REPRODUCCION FOTO COMO DIPLOMATICO.

Japan: Yasunari Kawabata (1899 -1972), novelist and essayist, in his garden c. 1968

China: Pu-Yi (1906-1967), as Japanese puppet 'Emperor of Manchukuo' (1932-1945), in civilian dress, March 1934

Mao Zedong (1893 - September 9, 1976), was a Chinese communist revolutionary who became the founding father of the People's Republic of China (PRC), which he ruled as the Chairman of the Communist Party of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death

General Nobuyuki Abe, retired, photographed as he was about to leave for the Imperial Palace to inform the Emperor that he had completed the organization of his cabinet. He received the Imperial order to form a ***** government on the evening of August 28th. August 01, 1939. (Photo by Japan Photo Library).

Prince Mikasa Of Japan -- Third and youngest brother of Emperor Hirohito, was major in the Jap. Army during war, now a student at Imperial University, Tokyo. Regarded as 'brainiest man in the Imperial family'. July 25, 1949. (Photo by Camera Press).

Mao Zedong with his wife Jiang Qing; 1946. Jiang Qing ( 1914 - 1991), Chinese Communist Revolutionary, actress, and major political figure during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). She was the fourth wife of Mao Zedong. Jiang Qing was best known for playing a major role in the Cultural Revolution and for forming the radical political alliance known as the "Gang of Four".

Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay Sr. (1907 - 1957) Filipino statesman who served as the seventh president of the Philippines, from December 30, 1953, until his death in an aircraft disaster on March 17, 1957. An automobile mechanic by profession, Magsaysay was appointed military governor of Zambales after his outstanding service as a guerrilla leader during the Pacific War. He then served two terms as Liberal Party congressman for Zambales's at-large district before being appointed Secretary of National Defense by President Elpidio Quirino. He was elected president under the banner of the Nacionalista Party.

Nguyn Phú Trng (born 14 April 1944) is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, elected at the party's 11th National Congress on 19 January 2011. Trong heads the party's Secretariat, as well as the Central Military Commission, the country's two most powerful policymaking bodies. Trng was born in Ðông Hi Commune, Ðông Anh District, Hanoi. His official biography gives his family background only as 'poor peasant'. He studied philology at Vietnam National University, Hanoi from 1963-67. Trng officially joined the Communist Party in December 1968. He worked for the Tp chí Cng Sn (Communist Review), the theoretical and political agency of the Communist Party of Vietnam in the periods of 1967-73, 1976-80, and 1983-96. From 1991-96, he served as the editor-in-chief of the Tp chí Cng Sn. Trng has been member of the Party's Central Committee since January 1994, member of the Party's Political Bureau since December 1997, and deputy to the National Assembly of the Soci

Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Chulalongkorn Phra Chunla Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua, or Rama V (20 September 1853 - 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri. He is considered one of the greatest kings of Siam. His reign was characterized by the modernization of Siam, immense government and social reforms, and territorial cessions to the British Empire and French Indochina. As Siam was threatened by Western expansionism, Chulalongkorn, through his policies and acts, managed to save Siam from being colonized. All his reforms were dedicated to Siams insurance of survival in the midst of Western colonialism, so that Chulalongkorn earned the epithet Phra Piya Maharat ( Great Beloved King). He is seen here with the Crown Prince, the future King Vajiravudh (1881-1925).

10/31/1908. Prince Choun, father of the late Emperor and current Regent.

Japan: Morihei Ueshiba (1883 - 1969) was a martial artist and founder of the Japanese martial art of aikido. He is often referred to as 'Kaiso' (the founder) or Osensei, 'Great Teacher'

Harry i.e., Henry Hanawa, mechanic, Manzanar Relocation Center, California. Ansel Adams's Photographs of Japanese-American Internment at Manzanar.

The Actor Sawamura Sojuro III in Ceremonial Attire on the Occasion of His Return from Osaka at the Nakamura Theater in the First Month, 1793 1788-1798 Japan. Color woodblock print; hosoban . Katsukawa Shun'ei

Chairman Mao made an important speech at the second meeting of the Eighth National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The 8th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in two sessions, the first 15-27 September 1956 and the second 5-23 May 1958 in Beijing.

Anefo photo collection. Arrival ambassador Indonesia Taswin Natadigrat (head) at Schiphol. January 16, 1968. Noord-Holland, Schiphol

Red China's Premier Chou En-lai is seen arriving at Bandung to attend the Afro-Asian Conference. Chou is net by Indonesia's Vice-President Hatta (extreme left), at the Bandung Airport, with a large number of press people and airport security guards. May 18, 1955. (Photo by Pan-Asia Photo News).

Chairman Mao with female Red Guard, during the Cultural Revolution. 1966. Mao Zedong (1893 - September 9, 1976), was a Chinese communist revolutionary who became the founding father of the People's Republic of China (PRC), which he ruled as the Chairman of the Communist Party of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death

Madame Chiang Kai-Shek(also known as Soong May-ling or Soong Mei-ling)(1898- 2003). Date: 1941

Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan (born 1960), elder son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, which makes him the heir apparent to the Chrysanthemum Throne. Naruhito is expected to succeed his father as Emperor upon the latter's abdication on 30 April 2019.

U Thant ( January 22, 1909 - November 25, 1974) was a Burmese diplomat and the third Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971. A native of Pantanaw, Thant was educated at the National High School and at Rangoon University. In the days of tense political climate in Burma, he held moderate views positioning himself between fervent nationalists and British loyalists. He was a close friend of Burma's first Prime Minister U Nu and served various positions in Nu's cabinet from 1948 to 1961. He was appointed as Secretary-General in 1961 when his predecessor, Dag Hammarskjöld died in an air crash. In his first term, Thant facilitated negotiations between U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev during the Cuban missile crisis, thereby narrowly averting the possibility of a global catastrophe. In December 1962, Thant ordered the Operation Grand Slam which ended secessionist insurgency in Congo. He was reappointed as Secretary-General on 2nd December 1

Mao Zedong, before an enemy plane, seized in the Battle of Zhangzhou 1934. Mao Zedong (1893 - September 9, 1976), was a Chinese communist revolutionary who became the founding father of the People's Republic of China (PRC), which he ruled as the Chairman of the Communist Party of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death

Hu Shih (17 December 1891 - 24 February 1962) was a Chinese philosopher, essayist and diplomat. Hu is widely recognized today as a key contributor to Chinese liberalism and language reform in his advocacy for the use of written vernacular Chinese. He was influential in the May Fourth Movement, one of the leaders of China's New Culture Movement, was a president of Peking University, and in 1939 was nominated for a Nobel Prize in literature. He had a wide range of interests such as literature, history, textual criticism, and pedagogy.

Stamp depicting Bhumibol Adulyadej 1927 2016, King Bhumibol of Thailand 1946 - 2016.

Anefo photo collection. Arrival ambassador Indonesia Taswin Natadigrat (head) at Schiphol. January 16, 1968. Noord-Holland, Schiphol

Abhisit Vejjajiva (born 3 August 1964) is a Thai politician who was the 27th Prime Minister of Thailand between 2008 and 2011. Born in England, Abhisit attended Eton College and earned bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Oxford. He was elected to the Parliament of Thailand at age 27, and promoted to Democrat Party leader in 2005, after his predecessor resigned following the party's defeat in the 2005 general election. Abhisit was appointed Prime Minister of Thailand on 17 December 2008, following a Parliamentary vote after the Constitutional Court of Thailand removed Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from office. At age 44, he was the country's youngest prime minister in more than 60 years.

Joko Widodo (born 21 June 1961), popularly known as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician and businessman who is the 7th and current president of Indonesia. Elected in July 2014, he was the first Indonesian president not to come from an elite political or military background. He was previously the mayor of Surakarta from 2005 to 2012 and the governor of Jakarta from 2012 to 2014. Before his political career, he was an industrialist and businessman

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