Yousuf Karsh

Yousuf Karsh
CC RCA FRPS
Armenian: Յուսուֆ Քարշ
Karsh in 1936
Born(1908-12-23)December 23, 1908
Mardin, Diyarbekir Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey)
DiedJuly 13, 2002(2002-07-13) (aged 93)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Burial placeNotre-Dame Cemetery
NationalityArmenian
CitizenshipOttoman Empire
Canada
Spouses
  • Solange Gauthier
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1939; died 1961)​
  • Estrellita Nachbar
    ​
    (m. 1962)​
Websitekarsh.org
Signature

Yousuf Karsh, CC RCA FRPS (December 23, 1908 – July 13, 2002) was an Armenian-Canadian photographer known for his portraits of notable individuals. He has been described as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century.[1][2]

An Armenian genocide survivor, Karsh migrated to Canada as a refugee. By the 1930s he established himself as a significant photographer in Ottawa, where he lived most of his adult life, though he traveled extensively for work. His 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. Over 20 photos by Karsh appeared on the cover of Life magazine, until he retired in 1993.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Time Berman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference latimes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).