Name/Title
The Roaring Lion. Portrait of Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965), British Prime Minister, after his speech to the Canadian House of Parliament on December 30, 1941Entry/Object ID
2001.01.25Description
Photograph
This powerful black and white portrait photograph of Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, DL, FRS, RA (1874-1965) became an iconic image of Britain's stand against fascism. Churchill was a British statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1951 to 1955. He is shown wearing a dark suit and his trademark polka dot bow tie.
Churchill was descended from one of England's great aristocratic families, that of the Dukes of Marlborough. Recognized as an inspirational statesman, writer, orator and leader he led Britain to victory in the WWII, playing a crucial role in supporting the morale of the British people and in helping to craft and deliver the Allied victory.Photograph Details
Type of Photograph
Silver Gelatin PrintSubject Place
Region
Western EuropeContinent
EuropeContext
In the words of Yousuf Karsh in 1941-
“My portrait of Winston Churchill changed my life. I knew after I had taken it that it was an important picture, but I could hardly have dreamed that it would become one of the most widely reproduced images in the history of photography. In 1941, Churchill visited first Washington and then Ottawa. The Prime Minister, Mackenzie King, invited me to be present. After the electrifying speech, I waited in the Speaker’s Chamber where, the evening before, I had set up my lights and camera. The Prime Minister, arm-in-arm with Churchill and followed by his entourage, started to lead him into the room. I switched on my floodlights; a surprised Churchill growled, ‘What’s this, what’s this?’ No one had the courage to explain. I timorously stepped forward and said, ‘Sir, I hope I will be fortunate enough to make a portrait worthy of this historic occasion.’ He glanced at me and demanded, ‘Why was I not told?’ When his entourage began to laugh, this hardly helped matters for me. Churchill lit a fresh cigar, puffed at it with a mischievous air, and then magnanimously relented. ‘You may take one.’ Churchill’s cigar was ever present. I held out an ashtray, but he would not dispose of it. I went back to my camera and made sure that everything was all right technically. I waited; he continued to chomp vigorously at his cigar. I waited. Then I stepped toward him and, without premeditation, but ever so respectfully, I said, ‘Forgive me, sir,’ and plucked the cigar out of his mouth. By the time I got back to my camera, he looked so belligerent he could have devoured me. It was at that instant that I took the photograph.”Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Yousuf Karsh, RCA, RPS, OC (1908-2002)Role
PhotographerDate made
circa 1941Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
PHOTOGRAPHER BIOGRAPHY
Born in Mardin, Ottoman Empire, Yousuf Karsh was a Canadian photographer known for his portraits of important and famous individuals including political and military leaders, writers, actors, artists, musicians, scientists and celebrities. He is recognized as one of the great portrait photographers of the 20th century.
Being Armenian in what is now Turkey, the Karsh family endured persecution, fleeing to Syria in 1922. Karsh was later sent to Sherbrooke, Quebec, where he worked and was taught photography by his uncle, a portrait photographer. He later apprenticed with John H. Garo (1875-1939), a Boston painter and portrait photographer, whose lighting techniques formed the basis for Karsh’s later use of dramatic lighting in his own portraits. Returning to Canada in 1931, Karsh established a studio on Sparks Street in Ottawa, later moving to the Château Laurier (designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1981). He achieved initial success by capturing the attention of Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King, and Karsh became a regular photographer with the Canadian government. In 1947, he became a naturalized Canadian citizen.
Karsh’s portrait of Churchill brought Karsh his first major international fame. He then went on to photograph many of the world’s most prominent personages from Albert Einstein to Grace Kelly to George Bernard Shaw to Dwight D. Eisenhower to Georgia O'Keeffe to Nikita Khrushchev. Besides portraits of the famous, he also did other commercial work for corporations and for publication purposes. He was also a visiting professor at Ohio University and at Emerson College in Boston.
The 355,000 item Karsh collection is held by Library and Archives Canada. Of note, a bust of Karsh with his famous camera sits outside the Château Laurier. And the Karsh Award, dedicated to Yousuf and his brother Malak, is awarded by the City of Ottawa every two years to an established professional artist for outstanding artistic work in a photo-based medium.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
InscriptionLocation
In photo, lower right: © Y. Karsh Ottawa in white inkDimensions
Dimension Description
Visible imageHeight
99 cmWidth
73.7 cmAcquisition
Acquisition Method
Legacy collection - detail unknownRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
2001.01.25 The Roaring Lion. Portrait of Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
2001.01.52 Portrait of Sir Winston Churchill
2001.03.02 “We are all of us defending…a Cause…” Portrait of Winston Churchill
2023.04.07 Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the End of the 2nd World War
