Image:Yuri Gagarin official portrait.jpg

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Yuri Gagarin, official photo, TASS, Glavkosmos, etc. from :

On the image Gagarin is in his uniform of Lieutenant Colonel (Russian: подполковник) of Aviation (this rank was awarded him on 12 June 1962). Decorations on the left, from top to bottom:

  • Flag of the Soviet Union Pilot Cosmonaut Of The Soviet Union breastplate
  • Flag of HungaryOrder of the Flag of the Hungarian People's Republic with Diamonds
  • Flag of Indonesia Order of the Bintang Republic, 2nd Class
  • Flag of Liberia Order of the Star of Africa, Knight

Decorations in the centre, from top to bottom:

  • Flag of Indonesia Star of the Republic of Indonesia medal, 2nd Class (Indonesian: Bintang Republik Adipradana)
  • Flag of Egypt Great Order of the Nile

Decorations on the right, first row from the top:

  • Flag of the Soviet Union The Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union
  • Flag of Czechoslovakia The Gold Star of the Hero of Socialist Labour
  • Flag of Bulgaria The Gold Star of the Hero of Labour
  • Flag of Vietnam The Gold Star of the Hero of Labor

Decorations on the right, second row from the top:

  • Flag of the Soviet Union 40 Years Since the Creation of the Soviet Armed Forces
  • Flag of the Soviet Union For the Development of the Virgin Lands medal

Decorations on the right, third row from the top:

  • Flag of the Soviet Union Order of Lenin
  • Flag of Bulgaria Order of Georgi Dimitrov
  • Flag of Poland Cross of Grunwald
  • Flag of Cuba Order of Playa Giron (Spanish: Orden Playa Girón)
  • ?

The blue-red-blue sash stretching from the right shoulder to waist is that of the Order of the Star of Africa mentioned above.



Rationale

This is the publicity image, an official portrait of one of the most popular representatives of the USSR released by the Soviet government organization, now a non-existing entity, to represent a hero of the country to the world. The image has become an iconic one. The subject of the article is not alive and taking a free image of him is impossible. The image is not only unrepeatable but also irreplaceable by a generic image that would merely show what the person looked like. This is the official image that shows not just the appearance of the subject but how he and the authority wanted him to be represented and this is one of the best known images of the subject that is better recognizable world-wide than any other.

File history

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Date/Time Dimensions User Comment
current 04:57, 19 October 2006 409×600 (49 KB) Irpen ( Talk | contribs) (Yuri Gagarin, official photo, TASS, Glavkosmos, etc. from: [mek.kosmo.cz/bio/rusko/00001.htm] {{publicity}})

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