Yousuf Karsh – Photographer February 26 2021

Canadian-Armenian photographer Yousuf Karsh is widely regarded as

one of the top portrait photographers of the past century. During a career that spanned more than six decades, over 20 of his photos graced the cover of LIFE magazine. However, his most recognizable photograph is a portrait of Winston Churchill from 1941. Here is a closer look at the life and career of Yousuf Karsh.

Born in the Former Ottoman Empire

Yousuf Karsh was born December 23, 1908 in Mardin, a town in the southeastern region of present-day Turkey. At the time, the region was part of the Ottoman Empire and home to a large Armenian population, which included Yousuf and his parents.

Yousuf Karsh grew up during a volatile period of history. He was just four years old when the First Balkan War broke out. Several years later, the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers against the Allies in World War I. 

At the age of six, Yousuf Karsh witnessed the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. Several of his family members were killed during the years-long massacre of Christian Armenians. Between 800,000 and 1,200,000 citizens died during this period.

Karsh and his parents eventually escaped the region, fleeing to a refugee camp in neighboring Syria in 1922. The family spent months crossing the desert with a Kurdish caravan before arriving in Aleppo.

Finding Safety and Photography in Canada

Wanting a safer environment for their son, Karsh’s parents sent him to live with an uncle in Canada. He arrived in Nova Scotia on December 31, 1923. He soon moved to Sherbrooke, Quebec to stay with his uncle.

George Nakashian, Yousuf’s uncle, was a portrait photographer with a small studio. Yousuf originally intended to study medicine but took an immediate liking to the world of photography. He was soon devoting all his time to his uncle’s photography business.

Yousuf dropped out of school and worked at the studio full time. His uncle gifted him an Eastman Kodak Brownie camera, which he used to take photographs on his own. One of his first photos was a landscape portrait that won a photography contest at a local store. 

After detecting Yousuf’s proficiency with the camera, his uncle arranged for him to apprentice with a well-known portrait photographer and painter in Boston, Massachusetts. Between 1928 and 1931, Yousuf apprenticed for John H. Garo.

Karsh Opens His First Studio in Ottawa

In 1932, Karsh moved back to Canada, settling in Ottawa. He opened his first photography studio that same year. The studio was on the second floor of a building on Sparks Street, where Karsh remained until 1972.

Karsh used the moniker “Karsh of Ottawa” as his professional name, which is how he signed all his portraits. 

A year after opening his studio, Karsh met Solange Gauthier at the Ottawa Little Theatre where she was starring in a play. Gauthier was also an immigrant, migrating to Canada from France as a young girl.

The two married in 1939 and moved into her apartment the following year. They eventually resettled in a home on the Rideau River outside of Ottawa. 

During his visits to the Ottawa Little Theatre, Karsh was struck by the theatrical lighting. When he first started taking photographs, he relied solely on natural light. He liked how the theatrical lighting was used to heighten the drama of the scene. He soon began incorporating the lighting techniques that he saw at the theatre into his photo sessions. 

When Karsh moved back to Canada, he intended to photograph “people of consequence.” His first break came when he met the son of Lord Bessborough – the governor-general of Canada. Bessborough’s son convinced him to sit for a portrait at Karsh’s studio. 

Impressed with the portrait, Lord Bessborough helped Karsh arrange photo sessions with other prominent people. The next governor-general of Canada, Lord Tweedsmuir, also sat for Karsh. Around this time, Lord Tweedsmuir introduced Karsh to Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King, who also helped Karsh photograph visiting dignitaries. 

Yousuf and his uncle were not the only photographers in the family. Yousuf’s younger brother Malak soon joined him in Ottawa and became a successful photographer in his own right. 

Churchill Portrait Helps Boost Karsh’s Career

After marrying Solange Gauthier and moving into her apartment, Yousuf Karsh captured one of his most famous portraits. Karsh was commissioned to photograph Winston Churchill at the request of Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King.

On December 30, 1941, Churchill delivered a speech to members of the Canadian parliament. Karsh photographed Churchill after the speech. It was a short photo session and toward the end of the shoot, Karsh removed a cigar from Churchill’s mouth. Churchill was displeased, which may have contributed to the expression on his face as Karsh snapped his famous photo.

The portrait is titled “The Roaring Lion” and features Churchill leaning on a chair with one hand on his hip. He has a slight scowl and a defiant look. 

Churchill’s portrait became iconic in England during World War II. It appeared on the cover of a 1945 issue of LIFE magazine and has since become one of the most reproduced portraits in the history of photography. 

The portrait catapulted Karsh’s already successful career. However, part of Karsh’s success is credited to his methods for capturing honest photos of famous individuals. While he maintained a studio, Karsh preferred to travel to photograph his subjects. He wanted to photograph them in their natural environment to make them more comfortable.

Due to his desire to photograph people in their natural environment, Karsh hopped around the globe for much of his later career. He photographed a wide range of military leaders, political leaders, and foreign dignitaries. Notable subjects include Georgia O’Keeffe, Nikita Khrushchev, George Bernard Shaw, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.  

Karsh also took the time to get to know his subjects before he started snapping photos. He would stand behind the camera and start having a conversation with the subject. He talked and listened, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Post-War Career and Move to Chateau Laurier

After World War II, Karsh transitioned from photographing world leaders to photographing celebrities. His work during the war had made Karsh a sought-after portrait photographer, allowing Karsh to spend the next several decades taking on sporadic commissions for influential people.

He also started releasing books of portraits, starting with Face of Destiny in 1946. He would release an additional five books during his lifetime. 

In 1957, he traveled to Cuba to photograph Ernest Hemingway. At the time, Hemingway was living in Finca Vigia, a large estate in the working-class town of San Francisco de Paula. Karsh spent some time with Hemingway and captured another iconic portrait that remains in circulation today.

While Karsh is mostly known for his portraits, he also photographed other subjects. The Ford Motor Company of Canada commissioned him to take photos of assembly line workers at a plant in Windsor, Ontario. 

In January of 1961, Yousuf’s wife Solange died of cancer. The following year, he married Estrellita Maria Nachbar. Estrellita was 21 years his junior. The two remained married until his death and did not have any children.

In 1972, Karsh and Nachbar moved to Chateau Laurier, where he set up his new studio. Chateau Laurier is a massive 660,000 square foot hotel in downtown Ottawa and became Karsh’s permanent home for the next two decades. 

He continued to take on fewer assignments, but also started teaching at Ohio University and Emerson College. He was a visiting professor at both colleges.

The Retirement and Final Years of Yousuf Karsh

Following a prolific career, Yousuf Karsh decided to retire in 1993. For the next few years, he only took on a few projects. His final portraits were of then US President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton. In 1997, due to poor health and the cold Ottawa winters, Yousuf closed his studio for good and moved to Boston.

Yousuf Karsh spent his remaining years in the Boston area. He died on July 13, 2002 due to complications following surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. 

A private funeral was held for Yousuf Karsh in Ottawa. He was later interred at Notre-Dame Cemetery in the city that he called home for many years.

Posthumous Recognition of Yousuf Karsh’s Work

By the time Karsh retired, over 20 of his portraits had appeared on the

cover of LIFE. Almost two decades after his passing, Yousuf Karsh remains an influential figure in the world of portrait photography.

Karsh’s work is permanently displayed at major galleries and archives across the globe. Portraits by “Karsh of Ottawa” appear in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the National Portrait Gallery in London, the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, and the National Gallery of Canada.

In 2017, a bust of Karsh was unveiled in front of his long-time residence at Chateau Laurier in Ottawa. It was sculpted by a fellow Canadian-Armenian artist – Megerditch Tarakdjian. The bust was a gift to Canada from Armenia to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada and acts as a constant reminder of Karsh’s legacy.

See also:

- Karsh, Yousuf - Signed Book "Karsh Portraits"

- Karsh, Yousuf - Signed Photo 1982

Interested in authentic autographs?

SIGN UP for TAMINO AUTOGRAPHS NEWSLETTER