a woman cleaning the Mona Lisa with a rainbow duster in mood lighting
photo board if form of geisha with interior of drugstore seen through face cutout
mirror reflection of shoppers
two women taking photos of cute lapdogs with blooming hydrangea on background
a circular aerial highway with cars and a pink and green floral design on the road level
of a rat looking out from a catch basin
lions in Mozambique
a river filled with wildlife drinking water
a male elephant grabbing onto a tree during sunset
a polar bear preforming
a pangolin in nature
a pangolin
a pangolin
female rangers
a swarm of bats in the pink sky in the cave entrance.
interior of the cave with a spelunker
man in red shirt on the vertical wall without ropes high above ground
feet in boots over aerial view of forest
man in yellow jacket with tool for beating the flames into wet melted permafrost.
a camouflaged hunter
a boy on the back of a soy bean truck
a beekeeper and her son
bee keepers looking at their hives
people digging in salt
a girl holding a baby alpaca in her hands
marine plastic debris on a white background
a hand in blue glove with microchip on the red background
a muscular man sitting for a portrait with glass cups on his back against a red backdrop
a person under a black cloth on fire as a woman technician watches
a young child getting her temperature taken next to a man leaning towards her
a young woman checked by a nurse as she holds her baby and supported by another woman
a pregnant couple wearing all white posing for a photo at a party
a woman's body covered in clay-like substance laying on a table
dolphins in a pool swimming towards a man behind a window
the flames of a rocket launching into space
saffron magnified to reveal microscopic details
a woman standing for a portrait holding a flag
two hijabi teens standing in front of a colorful cloth with peacocks embroidery
men lying in colorful hammocks in front of a lime green wall
a twirling little girl wearing a skirt made of balloons as her father and brother watch
two young girls walking in an old Nigerien city
two men watching a tire burn in the desert under a blue sky
a man in his shop outside at night selling wares as people sit next to him
a boy in a small while square tent selling goods in a grassy field
a women in a brown and orange gown sitting with her daughter in a matching gown
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Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa” is believed to depict Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, a Florentine silk merchant. Every year, millions of visitors jostle for a view at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The painting, protected by a thick layer of glass that must be cleaned regularly, has never been restored. From "Why Leonardo da Vinci’s brilliance endures, 500 years after his death," May 2019
Photograph by Paolo Woods and Gabriele Galimberti

50 best photos from 2019—so far

In the last six months National Geographic has published hundreds of photographs in print and online. Here are our photo editors’ favorites.

ByCatherine Zuckerman
Curated byWhitney Johnson
July 02, 2019

What makes—or breaks—a good photograph? Halfway through 2019, our Vice President of Visual and Immersive Experiences, Whitney Johnson, asked National Geographic’s photo editors to take stock of what they’ve published so far this year and to choose their favorites. Here are 50 images that depict love and pain—as well as bravery and resilience—across the world.

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