Yousuf Karsh

Yousuf Karsh (1908–2002) was an Armenian‑Canadian photographer whose masterful portraiture set the gold standard for capturing personality and gravitas. Born in Mardin in the Ottoman Empire, Karsh survived the turmoil of World War I before being sent at age sixteen to live and apprentice with his uncle’s portrait studio in Sherbrooke, Quebec. He later honed his craft under John H. Garo in Boston, where he refined the lighting techniques and compositional rigor that would become his hallmark.

In 1935 Karsh opened his own studio in Ottawa, and a chance portrait of Winston Churchill—snapping the cigar from the Prime Minister’s mouth—propelled him to international fame. Over the next six decades he photographed more than 20,000 sitters, including Albert Einstein, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Pablo Picasso, Audrey Hepburn, and John F. Kennedy. His signature use of dramatic, sculptural lighting and his patient, conversational approach allowed him to draw out defining expressions—what Field Marshal Montgomery called getting “Karshed”—and to “see with the mind’s eye,” as Karsh famously advised.

Karsh’s work graced the covers of Life, Time, and The Saturday Evening Post, and his iconic images became synonymous with the public personas of his subjects. Beyond editorial commissions, he published several monographs—Portraits (1964) and Karsh: Beyond the Camera (1999)—and his prints reside in major collections, including the National Gallery of Canada and the Karsh Center at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which he and his wife Estrellita endowed.

Through a relentless pursuit of technical perfection and human insight, Yousuf Karsh left an indelible legacy: a vast archive of portraits that continue to reveal the “greatness of spirit” he sought in every face, reminding us that the true lens of the camera is the photographer’s own mind and heart.