Description:

Yousuf Karsh (Armenian/Canadian, 1908-2002), "Portrait of Winston Churchill", 1941, silver print, printed 1980s, signed on mount recto, and with his stamp on mount en verso, 19 3/4 in. x 15 3/4 in., framed. Provenance: A Gallery for Fine Photography, New Orleans, LA.

  • Literature: Note: “Forgive me, Sir,” Yousuf Karsh said to Winston Churchill right before plucking the cigar from his lips and taking the iconic photograph presented here that would prove to be a career-defining moment for the Armenian-born photographer. The resulting image shows the intimidating Churchill glowering into the camera, steely and powerful. Karsh reminisced, “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.” It was 1941 and Churchill had just given a rousing speech in front of the Canadian Parliament in which he responded to French Marshall Phlippe Pétain's claims that England was three weeks away from getting its neck wrung like a chicken with the famous retort, “some chicken, some neck!” After the 37 minute speech, Churchill was surprised to see Karsh set up in a separate room with photography lights and a camera. Begrudgingly, he allowed the photographer to take his photo. The resulting image would grace the cover of Time magazine. Of the photograph, Karsh stated: “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.”
  • Notes: Ref.: "Winston Churchill, 1941." Yousuf Karsh / Photographer. www.karsh.org. Accessed Jan. 31, 2017. Olsen, John. "Winston Churchill 70 Years Ago: 'Some Chicken! Some Neck!'" The International Churchill Society. www.winstonchurchill.org. Accessed Jan. 31, 2017.

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February 11, 2017 10:00 AM CST
New Orleans, LA, US

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