How a simple Armenian boy Yusuf Karsh became a legend of portrait photography

There are beautiful, unusual, and simply interesting photographs. And there are also cult ones that reflect the epoch, significant events, outstanding personalities and therefore have gone down in history. You've all probably seen a portrait of Ernest Hemingway in a rough-knit sweater, a thoughtful Albert Einstein, his hands folded in front of his face and Winston Churchill looking from under his brows. They are united by cult and ... the same author! Surprisingly, the most famous portraits of the 20th century were created by one person — photographer Yusuf Karsh.

The most famous portrait photographer in history, Yusuf Karsh, was born in 1908 in the Turkish city of Mardin in an Armenian family. He was born in a difficult time when Turkey pursued a policy of genocide against Armenians. Because of this, when Yusuf was 14 years old, his family left the country and moved to Syria.

At the age of 16, his parents sent the young man to his uncle in Canada so that he could study and get a good job. There, in Quebec, Yusuf Karsh gets acquainted with photography for the first time. His uncle, George Nagash, was the owner of a small photo studio, where the young man began to master the basics of portrait photography.

Yusuf had an undoubted talent, and a relative sends him to study in Boston.  With a letter of recommendation and a few dollars in his pocket, Karsh comes to the studio of the famous portrait photographer John Garo. An experienced master helps Yusuf to hone his skills and gives him a job. But soon Karsh decides to return to Canada to start your own career as a photographer.

His photo studio quickly became known throughout the country. The Prime Minister of Canada himself drew attention to the young and talented portrait painter. He invited the master to make portraits of high-ranking officials who came on official visits. It was an exceptionally responsible job and Karsh coped with it.

In 1941, he made the famous portrait of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. This happened during the visit of the politician to Ottawa and the photographer were allocated only two minutes. No one believed in the success of the photo shoot, as Churchill did not like to pose. Then Karsh pulled off a reckless but effective trick that became a real historical joke.

After that, Yusuf Karsh photographed many famous personalities. Among them are Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway, Fidel Castro, Mohammed Ali, Queen Elizabeth II, Pablo Picasso, John Kennedy and many others. We will never see many portraits, as the maestro of photography was dissatisfied with them.

Karsh was incredibly demanding of himself and his work:

Yusuf Karsh's Studio in Ottawa ceased operations in 1992. During his career, the portrait photography legend has published 15 books with his works. The master entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most sought-after portrait photographer in history. The iconic photographer died in 2002 in Boston.