YOUSUF KARSH
Name: Yousuf Karsh
Born: 23 December 1908 Mardin, the Ottoman Empire
Died: 13 July 2002 Boston, USA
Yousuf Karsh (December 23, 1908 - July 13, 2002) was
a Canadian photographer of Armenian heritage, and one of the most famous and
accomplished portrait photographers of all time.
Yousuf (his given Armenian name was Hovsep) Karsh was born in Mardin, a city in
the eastern Ottoman Empire (currently in Turkey). He grew up during the Armenian
Genocide where he wrote, "I saw relatives massacred; my sister died of
starvation as we were driven from village to village." At the age of 14, he
fled with his family to Syria to escape persecution. Two years later, his
parents sent Yousuf to live with his uncle George Nakash, a photographer in
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Karsh briefly attended school there and assisted in
his uncle's studio. Nakash saw great potential in his nephew and in 1928
arranged for Karsh to apprentice with portrait photographer John Garo in Boston,
United States. His brother, Malak Karsh, was also a photographer famous for the
image of logs floating down the river on the Canadian one dollar bill.
Karsh returned to Canada four years later, eager to make his mark. He
established a studio on Sparks Street in Ottawa, Ontario, close to Canada’s seat
of government. Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King discovered Karsh and
arranged introductions with visiting dignitaries for portrait sittings. Karsh's
work attracted the attention of varied celebrities, but his place in history was
sealed on 30 December, 1941 when he photographed Winston Churchill after
Churchill gave a speech to Canadian House of Commons in Ottawa.
The image of Churchill brought Karsh international prominence, and is claimed to
be the most reproduced photographic portrait in history. In 1967, he was made an
Officer of the Order of Canada and in 1990 was promoted to Companion.
Of the 100 most notable people of the century, named by the International Who's
Who [2000], Karsh had photographed 51. Karsh was also the only Canadian to make
the list.
In the late 90s he moved to Boston and on July 13, 2002 (He was 93 years old)
Karsh died at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital after complications
following surgery. He was interred in Notre Dame Cemetery in Ottawa.
Name: Yousuf Karsh
Born: 23 December 1908 Mardin, the Ottoman Empire
Died: 13 July 2002 Boston, USA
Yousuf Karsh (December 23, 1908 - July 13, 2002) was
a Canadian photographer of Armenian heritage, and one of the most famous and
accomplished portrait photographers of all time.
Yousuf (his given Armenian name was Hovsep) Karsh was born in Mardin, a city in
the eastern Ottoman Empire (currently in Turkey). He grew up during the Armenian
Genocide where he wrote, "I saw relatives massacred; my sister died of
starvation as we were driven from village to village." At the age of 14, he
fled with his family to Syria to escape persecution. Two years later, his
parents sent Yousuf to live with his uncle George Nakash, a photographer in
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Karsh briefly attended school there and assisted in
his uncle's studio. Nakash saw great potential in his nephew and in 1928
arranged for Karsh to apprentice with portrait photographer John Garo in Boston,
United States. His brother, Malak Karsh, was also a photographer famous for the
image of logs floating down the river on the Canadian one dollar bill.
Karsh returned to Canada four years later, eager to make his mark. He
established a studio on Sparks Street in Ottawa, Ontario, close to Canada’s seat
of government. Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King discovered Karsh and
arranged introductions with visiting dignitaries for portrait sittings. Karsh's
work attracted the attention of varied celebrities, but his place in history was
sealed on 30 December, 1941 when he photographed Winston Churchill after
Churchill gave a speech to Canadian House of Commons in Ottawa.
The image of Churchill brought Karsh international prominence, and is claimed to
be the most reproduced photographic portrait in history. In 1967, he was made an
Officer of the Order of Canada and in 1990 was promoted to Companion.
Of the 100 most notable people of the century, named by the International Who's
Who [2000], Karsh had photographed 51. Karsh was also the only Canadian to make
the list.
In the late 90s he moved to Boston and on July 13, 2002 (He was 93 years old)
Karsh died at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital after complications
following surgery. He was interred in Notre Dame Cemetery in Ottawa.