Lot 71
Karsh, Yousuf (1908-2002)
Portrait photograph of Sir Winston S. Churchill, 'The Roaring Lion'
Auction: 16 June 2026 from 10:00 BST
Description
Ottawa, 1941 or later. Gelatin silver print photograph, 34.5 x 26.5cm, mounted on card (mount dimensions 37.8 x 30cm), signed at lower right of image in white ink, Karsh's copyright wet stamp to verso of mount
Footnote
A very good example of one of the most iconic portrait photographs of all time, remaining in excellent condition with strong tonal contrasts. 'Karsh photographed the great wartime leader on a visit to the Canadian House of Commons in Ottawa. In a moment of boldness, Karsh snatched a cigar from Churchill's mouth. ‘By the time I got back to my camera,’ he later recalled, ‘he looked so belligerent he could have devoured me.’ It became one of the best-known photographs of Churchill and Karsh acknowledged that its success ‘changed my life’. Dubbed the ‘Roaring Lion’, this became one of the most enduring of Churchill's portraits and is among the most widely reproduced photographs in the history of photography' (National Portrait Gallery, online).