Royal Representation

In 1951, Karsh photographed the future Queen Elizabeth II, then a twenty-five-year-old princess, in an iconic series of portraits just six months before she ascended the throne. Several black-and-white and colour versions were circulated, playing a crucial role in creating a widely recognized image of the soon-to-be queen. Karsh photographed Elizabeth both alone and with her husband, Philip, and their young children, Anne and Charles, at her home, Clarence House, in London. One notable variant is a bust-length portrait of the princess wearing a tiara and draped in an off-the-shoulder gown that reveals her graceful neck. She appears to be in motion as she turns her head to gaze at the camera and, by implication, her future subjects.

Karsh’s portraits later became the basis for some of the first official reproductions of Queen Elizabeth on currency and stamps. Design work began in 1952 to feature one of Karsh’s 1951 portraits on Canadian banknotes (issued in 1954 as the Canadian Landscape series). The Bank of Canada had the tiara removed when preparing the transfer to an engraving plate, to differentiate it from a stamp series featuring the same portrait.

The widespread circulation of the Queen’s portrait on currency and stamps resulted in a “Karsh in every pocket” for millions of Canadians from the 1950s onward. Official portraits of the Queen and her family were also circulated for display in government buildings and embassies worldwide. Karsh’s regal portrayal of the Queen—enhanced by vibrant colouration—fostered the creation of a public persona of the young monarch prepared for her responsibilities with character and capability.

In 1985, American artist Andy Warhol (1928–1987), a leading figure in the Pop art movement, selected portraits of four royal heads of state as the basis for his series Reigning Queens: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Ntfombi Tfwala of Swaziland (now Eswatini), and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. In creating silkscreen versions of the portraits, Warhol applied his signature technique of outline tracing and the incorporation of abstract blocks of bright colours associated with modern advertising, and he reproduced the prints at a larger-than-life scale.

Although not a direct reference to Karsh’s work, Warhol’s treatment extends its cultural implications in terms of the mass diffusion of iconic images. In this work, reminiscent of postage stamps, Warhol both challenges the premise of royal portrait photography and reinvigorates it. In his portrait of the queen-in-waiting, Karsh signifies the dignified gravitas of Elizabeth’s royal stature, her anticipated assent to the Crown bestowed by noble birth; by contrast, Warhol’s Pop “translation” democratizes the mature monarch as simply another glamorous icon in the celebrity ecosystem.

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