Lilly Koltun August 10, 1987

In 1987, as Karsh prepared to close his studio, the extensive Karsh archive was acquired on behalf of all Canadians by the National Archives of Canada (now Library and Archives Canada). The lead negotiator was Lilly Koltun, an acclaimed art historian and director of the archives’ prestigious photographic collection. Karsh offered to photograph Koltun, who eagerly accepted the first-hand experience of a typical sitting in the name of research. The resulting image shows Karsh, still at his full powers at age eighty-nine, creating an arresting portrait recalling the stylish elegance of 1930s celebrity photography.

Koltun later recounted her experience:

I’ll always remember my delight one day, when I heard the courteous tones of Yousuf Karsh’s voice on the telephone asking me if he might photograph me! He said that it had long been his wish, and if I agreed, could I please wear a dress which he had always admired. To my astonishment, he described it exactly!

 

After I arrived in his studio at the appointed hour, wearing the dress of course, he then spent all morning completing my sitting…. At the very moment when I was about to give up, it seems I put my hands on my hips, and there it was! He took it instantly, and I admit to this day that remains my favourite pose. I insist it makes me look a little like Ava Gardner!

Although Karsh achieved fame as the creator of a remarkable portrait gallery of notable figures from his time, his roots remained in his Ottawa studio. Beginning in the 1930s, Karsh’s studio business was open to ordinary people seeking iconic portraits: business executives, diplomats, and socialites who could afford his fees could book a sitting even during the height of his international projects. Between Karsh’s agents booking magazine assignments and his own self-selected sittings for book projects, everyday clients who were neither celebrities nor famous politicians formed the core work that kept the studio at full capacity. Sitters knew in advance that the resulting images would reflect Karsh’s signature aesthetic and portray them with dignity.

Susan Sontag famously observed that photography confers importance upon the person being depicted. Posing for Karsh also indirectly connected the subject to the famous figures he had already photographed, elevating their own stature and providing them with an anecdote to proudly recount when showing the portrait, signed by Karsh, to others.

As Jerry Fielder, who worked alongside him for decades, remarked, “Karsh was impressed by talent, intelligence, humour and accomplishment. But most of all, he was impressed by kindness and integrity. He treated everyone the same, whether they were a headwaiter or a head of state. When you were with Karsh, you felt as if you were the most important person in the world because his focus was entirely upon you.”