Warm, Intimate Photos of Nelson Mandela Through the Years

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

African National Congress member Nelson Mandela and his new bride, Winnie, at their wedding in 1957.

The attorney and anti-apartheid activist in 1961.

Mandela and his then-wife, Winnie, raise their fists in February 1990 to salute a cheering crowd upon his release from prison.

Nelson Mandela at a prison-release rally in 1990.

Mandela attends a rally in Mpumalanga, South Africa, in 1993.

Nelson Mandela takes the oath during his inauguration as South Africa's first black president in May 1994.

Advertisement

South Africa’s president waves to the crowd after his country wins the World Cup in the Rugby World Cup Finals in Johannesburg in 1995. 

Advertisement

Francois Pienaar of South Africa receives the William Webb Ellis Trophy from President Mandela after the Rugby World Cup final in 1995.

Advertisement

Zinzi Mandela and her father, South African President Nelson Mandela, smile on Zinzi's wedding day in 1995.

Mandela speaks at the “Give One Minute of Your Life to AIDS” concert on Nov. 28, 2003, on Robben Island, off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa.

Advertisement

Nelson Mandela and his wife, Graça Machel.

Mandela blows out candles on his 90th birthday in 2008.

Nelson Mandela at a Cape Town luncheon in 2009.

Mandela in September 2011 at his home in Qunu, Eastern Cape, as part of photographer and filmmaker Adrian Steirn's 21 Icons South Africa series.

Advertisement

Nelson Mandela at a photo shoot in South Africa in 2011.