"First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome
Categories: Children | Health and Medicine | Photo project
By Pictolic https://pictolic.com/article/first-and-foremost-portraits-of-people-with-down-syndrome.htmlIcelandic photographer Siggi Ella's series is dedicated to people with Down syndrome and consists of 21 portraits. The artist explains the symbolism of this number: Down syndrome is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome in the 21st pair. The aim of the project, the photographer says, is to remind us that people come in all shapes and sizes. Sigga's subjects ranged in age from nine months to 60 years old. She wanted to show that they are all human beings, just like us, and that they shouldn't be judged for having an extra chromosome.
!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-0.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
"Can we really choose who will live and who will not?" asks Sigga Ella, noting that prenatal testing leads many parents to decide to abandon the birth of a child if the fetus is found to have trisomy 21.
Sigga kept the background simple so as not to distract from the models, but the photos turned out very vibrant—she wanted to highlight the diversity of the human race. All flowers should bloom, she believes.
The project's title, "First and Foremost," is a quote from a letter to the newspaper by Halldóra Jónsdóttir, a woman with Down syndrome and a librarian. The publication had previously published an opinion that people with Down syndrome shouldn't exist, and Halldóra responded to this position: "I have Down syndrome, but FIRST and FOREMOST, I'M Halldóra!" She then explains that she does a ton of things that everyone else does. Besides working at the library, Halldóra studies, paints, and makes music:
{!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-1.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
1. Baldur Ingi, 2 years old.
!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-2.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
2. Birta, 3 years old.
!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-3.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
3. Tinna, 16 years old.
!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-4.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
4. Svanur Jon, 6 years old.
!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-5.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
5. Oscar, 60 years old.
!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-6.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
6. Tinna, 16 years old.
!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-7.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
7. Sigrun, 10 years old.
!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-8.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
8. Catherine, 7 years old.
!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-9.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
9. Halldora, 30 years old.
!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-10.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
10. Gardar, 8 years old.
!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-11.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
11. Finn Bogie, 12 years old.
!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-12.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
12. Björgvin Axel, 23 years old.
!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-13.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
13. Björk, 55 years old.
!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-14.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
14. Oscar, 43 years old.
!["First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome](/img/2025/first-and-foremost/first-and-foremost-15.jpg ""First and Foremost": Portraits of People with Down Syndrome")
15. Christopher Logie, 9 months.
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