34 Facts About Yousuf Karsh

Yousuf Karsh has been described as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century.

An Armenian genocide survivor, Karsh migrated to Canada as a refugee.

Yousuf Karsh's iconic 1941 photograph of Winston Churchill was a breakthrough point in his career, through which he took numerous photos of known political leaders, men and women of arts and sciences.

Yousuf Karsh was born to Armenian parents Amsih Karsh, a merchant, and Bahia Nakash, on December 23,1908, in Mardin, Diyarbekir Vilayet, Ottoman Empire.

Yousuf Karsh's father was Catholic, while his mother was Protestant.

Yousuf Karsh had two brothers, Jamil and Malak; the latter was a photographer.

Yousuf Karsh grew up during the Armenian genocide, during which some of his family were murdered.

Yousuf Karsh arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia on December 31,1923, by ship from Beirut.

Yousuf Karsh immediately moved to Sherbrooke, Quebec to live with his maternal uncle George Nakashian, a portrait photographer.

From 1928 to 1931, Karsh apprenticed in Boston, Massachusetts for John H Garo, the most prominent Armenian photographer in America at the time who had made a name for himself photographing Boston celebrities.

Yousuf Karsh settled in Ottawa, initially working for photographer John Powis; his first commissions were from local Ottawa theatre groups.

Yousuf Karsh remained there until 1972, when he moved to the Chateau Laurier.

Yousuf Karsh was known professionally as "Karsh of Ottawa", which was his signature.

Yousuf Karsh achieved initial success by capturing the attention of Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King, who helped Karsh arrange photography sessions with visiting dignitaries.

Yousuf Karsh was introduced into the Rideau Hall social circle, and his portraits of Lord Bessborough, Governor General from 1931 to 1935, and his wife were widely published.

Yousuf Karsh became a member of the Ottawa Camera Club and exhibited works in the International Salon of Photography exhibitions held at the National Gallery of Canada from 1934 onwards.

Yousuf Karsh's photos were known for their use of dramatic lighting, which became the hallmark of his portrait style.

Yousuf Karsh had studied it with both Garo in Boston and at the Ottawa Little Theatre, of which he was a member.

Yousuf Karsh often used props in his portraits, some of which were emblematic of his sitters' professions.

The photo session was short and, just before exposure, Yousuf Karsh moved towards Churchill and removed the cigar which was in his mouth.

Jerry Fielder, the director of Yousuf Karsh's estate, immediately recognized that the Yousuf Karsh signature on the portrait was a forgery.

In 1984, Yousuf Karsh photographed the Canadian rock band Rush for their album Grace Under Pressure.

Besides portraits of the famous, Yousuf Karsh photographed assembly line workers in Windsor, Ontario, commissioned by the Ford Motor Company of Canada.

Yousuf Karsh shot photos for Canadair that were used in an advertising campaign.

Yousuf Karsh closed his studio at Chateau Laurier in June 1992.

Yousuf Karsh was a visiting professor at Ohio University and at Emerson College in Boston.

Yousuf Karsh met her at the Ottawa Little Theatre in 1933, where she was a performer.

Yousuf Karsh retired making photographs in 1993 and moved to Boston in 1997.

Yousuf Karsh died on July 13,2002, at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston after complications following surgery.

The Economist wrote upon his death that Yousuf Karsh was "for half a century perhaps the greatest portrait photographer in the monumental manner".

In 1987 the National Archives of Canada acquired the complete collection of Yousuf Karsh items, including the negatives, prints and transparencies produced and retained by Yousuf Karsh since 1933.

The current Library and Archives Canada collection has 355,000 items in its Yousuf Karsh collection, including all of his 150,000 negatives, kept at a facility in Gatineau, Quebec.

Yousuf Karsh was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and an honorary fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.

Yousuf Karsh has been inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum.