Fine Prints and Photography Auction

November 02, 2015

LOT 67

Lot 67

Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002)

Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002)
Lot 67 Details
Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002), Armenian/Canadian

WINSTON CHURCHILL, 1941

Gelatin silver print; signed in black ink to margin, titled “Winston Churchill” and dated 1941 in pencil to the matboard verso. Printed in the 1980’s.
Image/Sheet 20" x 16" — 50.8 x 40.6 cm.; 23.5" x 19.75" — 59.7 x 50.2 cm.

Estimate $8,000-$10,000

Realised: $14,400
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Provenance:

Ex. Coll. Mme. Yousuf (Estrellita Karsh);
Acquired from the above by Galerie D’Art Vincent, Montreal in 2004 - 2005;
Private Estate Collection, Canada

Literature:

Shelton Chen, All Things Karsh, p. 10, p. 166;
Yousuf Karsh, Faces of Our Time, 1971, p. 37-8;
The Good, The Great and the Gifted: Camera Portraits by Yosuf Karsh and Athol Shmith, The National Gallery of Australia, NGA 1974.396.54;
Yosuf Karsh, Galerie d’Art Vincent, Ottawa, 2005, exh. brochure, illustrated

Exhibited:

Yosuf Karsh, Galerie d’Art Vincent, Ottawa, 2005

Note:

This iconic photograph captured the British Prime Minister on 30 December 1941, after Churchill’s address to the Canadian House of Commons in Ottawa.

In Karsh’s book Faces of Our Time, Karsh comments, “He was in no mood for portraiture and two minutes were all that he would allow me as he passed from the House of Commons chamber to an anteroom. Two niggardly minutes in which I must try to put on film a man who had already written or inspired a library of books, baffled all his biographers, filled the world with his fame, and me, on this occasion, with dread.”

Relating later what happened during the portrait sessions, Karsh tells, “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 I took the photograph. The silence was deafening. Then Mr. Churchill, smiling benignly, said, ‘You may take another one.’ He walked toward me, shook my hand and said, ‘You can even make a roaring lion stand still to be photographed.’”

This image of Sir Winston Churchill is believed to be one of the most reproduced images in history.

Following the close of the Second World War, it was reproduced on the cover of Life Magazine (21 May 1975). On the 60th anniversary of the above-mentioned famous speech, Canada issued a commemorative stamp featuring this image to honour Karsh and Churchill.

Vincent Fortier, of Galerie d’Art Vincent, comments in reference to the provenance of this photograph, “For more than twenty five years  Yousuf and Estrellita  were my good neighbours at the Château Laurier and I met them daily. After the passing of Yousuf Karsh, Mrs. Karsh asked me to sell about 15 iconic prints including the Churchill […]” Of this exhibition, Fortier continues, “the response was immediate and we sold almost everything.”

This lot is mounted to the matboard support, which is noted by Fortier to be done at the Karsh studio. 

 

CONDITION DETAILS

For condition information please contact the specialist.

LOT 67
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About Condition Ratings

  • 5 Stars: Excellent - No discernable damage, flaws or imperfections
  • 4 Stars: Very Good - Minor flaws or imperfections visible only under close inspection using specialised instruments or black light
  • 3 Stars: Good - Minor flaws visible upon inspection under standard lighting
  • 2 Stars: Fair - Exhibits flaws or damage that may draw the eye under standard lighting
  • 1 Star: Poor - Flaws or damage immediately apparent under standard lighting (examples: missing components, rips, broken glass, damaged surfaces, etc.)

Note: Condition ratings and condition details are the subjective opinions of our specialists and should be used as a guide only. Waddington’s uses due care when preparing condition details, however, our staff are not professional restorers or conservators. Condition details and reports are not warranties and each lot is sold “as is” in accordance with the buyer’s terms and conditions of sale. In all cases the prospective purchaser is responsible for inspecting the property themselves prior to placing a bid.