Moisei Solomonovich Nappelbaum

Born in Minsk, Moisei Solomonovich Nappelbaum (Nappelboim) was one of the most important portrait photographers of prerevolutionary Russia and the early Soviet Union. He elevated studio portraiture into a form of art photography, using light to give psychological characterization to the sitter’s face. In the Soviet period, he photographed the most prominent revolutionaries, commissars, cultural figures, and scientists, many of whom were Jews. However, he considered himself a Russian photographer and did not pursue Jewish subjects.