Capturing the Lion

In December 1941, Yousuf Karsh made the most famous photographic portrait of his career: a powerful image of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who was seen as playing an integral role in defending liberal democracy against the spread of fascism during the Second World War. The publication of this portrait immediately catapulted Karsh into the international arena.

In the wake of Japan’s attack on an American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Churchill made the perilous journey across the Atlantic to meet with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Washington, D.C., to secure support for the Allied forces. Churchill arranged for a short side trip by train to Ottawa, arriving to cheers from throngs of war-weary Canadians supporting the battle commander. The following afternoon, Churchill delivered a rousing speech—which was transmitted live over CBC Radio—during a joint session of the Senate and House of Commons in Parliament, located just steps from Karsh’s Sparks Street studio.

The prior evening, Karsh had been admitted to the Speaker’s chamber, where he had set up his Agfa Ansco 8 x 10 large-format camera, six floodlights, two spotlights, and a background light. He greeted the unsuspecting British prime minister moments after his electrifying speech and offered to memorialize the occasion. As Karsh later remarked:

“Churchill lit a fresh cigar, puffed at it with a mischievous air, and then magnanimously relented. ‘You may take one.’ Churchill’s cigar was ever present. I held out an ashtray, but he would not dispose of it. I went back to my camera and made sure that everything was all right technically. I waited; he continued to chomp vigorously at his cigar. I waited. Then I stepped toward him and, without premeditation, but ever so respectfully, I said, ‘Forgive me, sir,’ and plucked the cigar out of his mouth. By the time I got back to my camera, he looked so belligerent he could have devoured me. It was at that instant that I took the photograph.”

Karsh had previsualized the portrait before Churchill’s arrival. What he could not have anticipated was Churchill’s indignant facial expression as his cigar was snatched away, an action demonstrating Karsh’s interpretation of the decisive moment, a concept championed by French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004).

The story of Karsh snatching the cigar from Churchill’s mouth to provoke the “roaring lion” became legendary, eventually attaining mythic status. Karsh’s wife, Solange, wrote to B.K. Sandwell, editor of Saturday Night magazine, to share the events behind the promised portrait. She emphasized that the anecdote was Karsh’s account and not hers: “Here are Yousuf’s notes as given to me last night and I refuse to doctor them up.” The Churchill portrait was featured on the cover of the January 10, 1942, issue of Saturday Night, followed by a full-page reproduction the next month in LIFE magazine and The Illustrated London News.

The photograph documenting a split-second interaction between impertinent photographer and scowling subject was transfigured into a powerful political address to allies and enemies alike and signified a stalwart and intimidating wartime leader. Karsh’s definitive portrait of Churchill was widely circulated through its reproduction on currency and stamps and as large-scale exhibition prints, and it has remained Karsh’s most requested portrait.

In 2022, it was discovered that the Churchill portrait had been brazenly stolen from the lobby of Ottawa’s Château Laurier hotel. The thief installed a facsimile in its place, delaying the discovery of the theft for months. It was later acquired by an Italian collector who was unaware of its provenance and returned the print to the hotel in 2024.

This Spotlight is excerpted from Yousuf Karsh: Life & Work by Melissa Rombout.