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TIME’s Best Portraits of 2021

Faces always tell a story, often a more nuanced and complete one than words can convey. The portraits TIME has commissioned over the past year speak volumes about where we’ve been and what we’ve been feeling throughout 2021. This was a year of exhaustion mixed with hope, a season of optimism tempered with caution. By January, we knew that several COVID-19 vaccines had been approved, bringing a promise that life could soon return to something more like normal. By December, the triumph of that promise had been dulled by a death toll that continues to rise, fueled at least partly by vaccine hesitancy, as well as by the rise of variants. No wonder we’re all stressed out.
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And yet the faces in these pictures don’t speak of despair, even in cases where these subjects are facing tremendous hardship and loss. All of us must at one time or another cope with circumstances that seem insurmountable—but somehow we manage, and empathy wrought from our shared experiences is what shapes us as human beings. To see Jody Marquess, of Phoenix, Ariz., standing in the room where his stepfather died during this year’s deadly heatwave, is to bear witness to the weight of grief. An image of Kenyan couple Festus and Veronica Parkolwa, standing at the entrance of what used to be their home, now destroyed by floods, forces us to reckon with the devastating effects of climate change in countries all over the world. These are events we believe can never happen to us—until they do. Photographs allow us to connect with one another, to look into the eyes of a stranger and recognize a part of ourselves there.

From left, top row: Mohamed Sadek for TIME, Pari Dukovic for TIME, Wynne Neilly for TIME; Middle row: Ruvén Afanador for TIME, Kanishka Sonthalia for TIME, Christopher Lee for TIME; Bottom row: Emanuel Hahn for TIME, Djeneba Aduayom for TIME, Elliott Jerome Brown Jr. for TIME

In these faces we also see joy and boldness. An incandescent portrait of Amanda Gorman, whose stirring inauguration poem ignited an interest in poetry in young people everywhere, represents the spirit of the arts in the broader sense: poetry and music, painting and drama, live on because successive generations come to care deeply about them. Pop singer Olivia Rodrigo, just 18 years old, captivated teenagers everywhere—even former teenagers—with an album of confessional songs that gave us all permission to vent our bottled anxiety. Her portrait shows a young woman who’s self-assured but not cocky, just uncertain enough about life and the world to help us navigate it too. Then there’s Simone Biles, who can achieve physical feats most of us can barely dream of. Yet her gaze meets the lens squarely, reminding us that this is a young woman who had the courage to step out of the spotlight at the Tokyo Olympics, declaring that enough was enough. In ensuring her own mental and emotional well-being, she gave others the courage to look after their own as well.


More from TIME


These portraits show people whose achievements have both thrilled the world and drawn harsh criticism, like the entertaining, aggravating, visionary zillionaire Elon Musk. And then there are those whose skill, knowledge and fortitude have already saved countless lives: the scientists who developed the very vaccines that kicked off our year of cautious hope. To look at the face of scientist Katalin Kariko is to see a person who, with her colleagues, would not give up until she’d cracked that code. Biology and biochemistry are a kind of poetry, a language that speaks directly to our bodies, to how our cells function and thrive. And so we move forward into 2022, but not before casting one last look at the faces of those who helped us get here.—Stephanie Zacharek

Amanda Gorman photographed in LA on January 29, 2020.
Awol Erizku for TIMEAmanda Gorman photographed in LA on Jan. 29, 2021. “The Black Renaissance,” Feb. 15 issue.
Mok Jung Wook for TIMEBTS. “TIME’s Entertainer of the Year 2020
Nadav Kander for TIMEJane Goodall. “The Enduring Hope of Jane Goodall,”Oct. 11 issue.
Porche Bennett-Bey in Kenosha, Wis., on Dec. 5, 2020.Photograph by Adrian Octavius Walker for TIME
Adrian Octavius Walker for TIMEPorche Bennett-Bey in Kenosha, Wis., on Dec. 5, 2020. “Guardians of the Year 2020
Gizelle Hernandez for TIMETommy Dorfman. “Tommy Dorfman Would Like to Clarify,” July 22.
2021. USA. Alexandria, Virginia. Retired General Stanley McChrystal photographed at the offices of the McChrystal Group in Alexandria, Virginia.
Peter van Agtmael for TIMEGen. Stanley McChrystal photographed in Alexandria, Va. “Gen. Stanley McChrystal Would Have Done Things Differently in Afghanistan,” Oct. 25 issue.
Tucker Carlson, at his Fox News Today studio in Maine on June 30, 2021. LORES
Gillian Laub for TIMETucker Carlson, at his Fox News Today studio in Maine. “The Most Powerful Conservative in America,” Aug. 8 issue.
Djeneba Aduayom for TIMESimone Biles. “The 100 Most Influential People,” Sept. 27 issue.
Sharif Hamza for TIMEGitanjali Rao. “TIME’s 2020 Kid of the Year
Moises Saman for TIMEAli Mnif and Lara Sabra. “A Decade After the Arab Spring, These Activists Are Finding New Ways to Fight for Progress,” Jan 18 issue.
Cayce Clifford for TIMEMick Simpson, Custodian from Vacaville, Calif. “Meet the Educators Who Saved A Pandemic School Year,” Sept. 13 issue.
Paola Kudacki for TIMESue Bird. “Sue Bird Stares Down Olympic Glory in Tokyo and Equity Off the Court,” July 19 issue.
Nhu Xuan Hua for TIMENgozi Okonjo-Iweala. “The 100 Most Influential People,” Sept. 27 issue.
Camila Falquez for TIMEVice President Kamala Harris. “TIME’s Person of the Year 2020
Mattia Balsamini for TIMEVaccine Scientist Katalin Kariko. “Heroes of the Year 2021,” Dec. 27 issue.
Caroline Tompkins for TIME“Call Her Daddy” host Alexandra Cooper. “Alexandra Cooper Made Her Name Talking About Sex. With Her Massive Spotify Deal, She’s Pushing Beyond That,” Aug. 23 issue.
Pari Dukovic for TIMEPrince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. “The 100 Most Influential People,” Sept. 27 issue.
Jared Soares for TIMEMajor General Cedric Wins. “America’s Racial Awakening Forces Virginia Military Institute To Confront Its Past—And Future,” June 7 issue.
Michelle Watt for TIMECathy Park Hong. “The 100 Most Influential People,” Sept. 27 issue.
Matt Grub for TIMESydny Boney. “Depop Made Sustainable Shopping Cool for Gen Z,” Aug 19.
Micaiah Carter for TIMEDua Lipa. “TIME 100 Next,” March 1 issue.
Stacy Kranitz for TIMEShannon Brewer. “Inside Mississippi’s Last Abortion Clinic,” Nov. 22 issue.
David Kasnic for TIMEShemia Reese with her family at Babler Elementary in Glencoe, Mo. “Inside the Fight Over What Kids Learn About America’s History,” July 5 issue.
Tonje Thilesen for TIMEBecky Kennedy, pictured on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. “How Dr. Becky Became the Millennial Parenting Whisperer,” July 5 issue.
Lindsay Ellary for TIMEMaitreyi Ramakrishnan. “TIME 100 Next,” March 1 issue.
Jody Rogac for TIMEDr. Anthony Fauci. “Guardians of the Year 2020
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Hannah Yoon for TIMEJackson and Charlotte. “These Portraits Show That the BTS ARMY Is Not a Monolith,” Nov. 24.
Whitten Sabbatini for TIMEImam Yassir Fazaga at the Memphis Islamic Center in Cordova, Tenn. “Muslim Americans Bring the Fight Against Surveillance to the Supreme Court,” Sept. 16.
Lesotho. Maseru. A factory worker who works at Hippo Knitting faced several harassments at the factory.
Lindokuhle Sobekwa for TIMEA worker who say they have faced abuse at the Hippo Knitting factory, concealing their identity for fear of retribution. “Workers in Factory That Makes Kate Hudson’s Fabletics Activewear Allege Rampant Sexual and Physical Abuse,” July 7 issue.
Dina Litovsky for TIMEOksana Vasyakina, photographed during a remote portrait session. “How Russia’s Feminist Poets Are Changing What It Means to Protest,” Dec. 21.
Lake Baringo, Kenya- Nov. 17, 2020. Festus and Veronica Parkolwa stand at the entrance of their former home. Khadija Farah for TIME.
Khadija Farah for TIMEFestus and Veronica Parkolwa stand at the entrance of their former home by Lake Baringo. “Environmental Crises Are Forcing Millions Into Cities. Can Countries Turn Climate Migrants Into an Asset?” April 26 issue.
Mark Peckmezian for TIMEKate Winslet. “The 100 Most Influential People,” Sept. 27 issue.
Lynsey Weatherspoon for TIMEDistrict Attorney Fani Willis at the Fulton County Courthouse. “Atlanta’s First Black Female District Attorney Is at the Center of America’s Converging Crises,” Oct. 25 issue.
Ricardo Nagaoka for TIMEBenjerman Xander, pictured at his home in Portland, Ore. “America’s Foster Care System Is a Dangerous Place for Trans Teens. Now They’re Fighting for Change,” Dec. 7.
Ruvén Afanador for TIMETimothée Chalamet. “Next Generation Leaders,” Oct. 25 issue.
Pari Dukovic for TIMEBillie Eilish. “The 100 Most Influential People,” Sept. 27 issue.
Jeanelle Austin seated here brought together a group of caretakers who maintain a memorial for George Floyd that continues to growe in Geoprge Floyd Square near the spot where he was killed.Items such as art protest signsd, candles, books and other materials have been collected inside the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center. These items are collecte4d and catalogued and preserved by the group into what is now known as the George Floyd Global Memorial.
Ruddy Roye for TIMEJeanelle Austin. “The Intersection Where George Floyd Died Has Become a Strange, Sacred Place. Will Its Legacy Endure?,” April 16.
Senator Schumer
Greg Kahn for TIMEChuck Schumer in his office at the Capitol. “The Great Kibitzer: How Chuck Schumer Got the Senate Moving Again,” Sept. 13 issue.
Kovi Konowiecki for TIMELeo, a member of the Compton Pledge guaranteed income program, with his daughter, left, and wife at their home in Compton. “Inside the Nation’s Largest Guaranteed Income Experiment,” Oct. 11 issue.
Jody Marquess, 42, stands for a portrait in the home of his deceased step-father in Phoenix, Arizona on June 23, 2021. Jody’s stepfather, John Ramer, 69,died June. 17 during a heatwave in Phoenix on Jody’s birthday. “He had tough guy syndrome and was very frugal. He was an honest and simple man”, said Jody. Jody said the temperature inside the house was 130, “He was cooking in a leather chair”. Photo by Adam Ferguson
Adam Ferguson for TIMEJody Marquess. “Extreme Heat in American West Shows Climate Change is Here,” Aug. 23 issue.
Elliot Page photographed in Toronto, Canada on March 5, 2021. Photograph by Wynne Neilly for TIME.
Wynne Neilly for TIMEElliot Page photographed in Toronto. “Elliot Page Is Ready for This Moment,” March 29 issue.
Vanessa Nakate in Berlin on Oct. 15, 2021. Mustafah Abdulaziz for TIME
Mustafah Abdulaziz for TIMEVanessa Nakate photographed in Berlin. “Vanessa Nakate Wants Climate Justice for Africa,” Nov. 8 issue.
Kelia Anne for TIMEOlivia Rodrigo. “Entertainer of the Year 2021,” Dec. 27 issue.
Elon Musk at the SpaceX launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, December 3, 2021.
Mark Mahaney for TIMEElon Musk. “Person of the Year 2021,” Dec. 27 issue.
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