The 1954 issue featuring Yousuf’s 1951 portrait of then-Princess Elizabeth In 1954, the Bank of Canada issued its third series of banknotes of the Canadian dollar. The banknotes were designed… […]

Jonas Salk, 1991 On this day, April 26, in 1954, Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine began field trials. “The polio vaccine field trials of 1954, sponsored by the National Foundation for… […]

Pablo Picasso, 1954 Pablo Picasso was born on this day, October 25, in 1881. Picasso was photographed by Karsh at Villa La Galloise, in July of 1954. “The maestro’s villa… […]

Earl Warren, 1955 On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a unanimous decision in “Brown v. Board of Education”, ruling that racial segregation in public educational facilities… […]

Ruth Draper, 1936 In 2019, 25 recordings were added to the United States Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. One of them is Ruth Draper: “Complete recorded monologues” (1954-1956). Joining… […]

Christopher Plummer, 1959 Canadian actor Christopher Plummer has died. Plummer made his Broadway debut in 1954, and received multiple accolades including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the… […]

Vincent Auriol, 1949 Vincent Auriol (1884-1966) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1947 to 1954. Karsh some prolific months in 1949 photographing people in the… […]

Henry Luce, 1944 August 16, 1954, saw the launch of Sports Illustrated magazine. It was founded by Henry Luce (1898-1967), an American magazine magnate who also founded Time, LIFE, and… […]

Augustus John, 1954 Augustus John (1878-1961) was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher regarded as one of Britain’s greatest artists. John was photographed during Karsh’s prolific trip to Europe in… […]

The Bank of Canada honored the historic reign of Queen Elizabeth II on September 9th, 2015, with the launch of a commemorative bank note. The note is a variation of… […]

André Malraux, 1954 French novelist and art theorist André Malraux was born on this day, November 3, in 1901. Malraux was appointed by President Charles de Gaulle as Minister of… […]

Albert Camus, 1954 French philosopher, author and journalist Albert Camus was born on this day, November 7, in 1913. Three years after he sat for Karsh, Camus would receive the… […]

Claude Picasso at Paris Photo, 2017, by Robert Klein At this year’s Paris Photo, our representative, Robert Klein, of Robert Klein Gallery, included Pablo Picasso in his booth. A lingering… […]

President-Elect Richard Nixon and Mrs. Nixon, January 1969 On this day, January 4, in 1974, President Richard Nixon refused to hand over tape recordings and documents that had been subpoenaed… […]

Albert Schweitzer, 1954 On this day, January 14, in 1875, Albert Schweitzer was born. Schweitzer was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize of 1952, and his acceptance speech, “The Problem of… […]

Sir Alexander Fleming, 1954 On this day, February 14, in 1929, Sir Alexander Fleming first published his discovery of penicillin in the British Journal of Experimental Pathology. Alexander Fleming was… […]

Marguerite Yourcenar, 1987 Joan E. Howard is the director of Petite Plaisance, the former home of Marguerite Yourcenar and Grace Frick, and is the author of From Violence to Vision:… […]

Lenore Tawney, 1959 By request from a client in the Netherlands, these two portraits of American fiber artist Lenore Tawney have been freshly scanned. Tawney began weaving in 1954. Her… […]

Pablo Picasso, 1954 On June 24, in 1901, Pablo Picasso had his first exhibition in Paris, “Yo Picasso” (I Picasso), at the Galerie Vollard. Karsh photographed Picasso in 1954 at… […]

Earl Warren, 1955 October 5th marks the anniversary of Earl Warren’s swearing-in as the 14th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1953. He would sit until 1969. The “Warren… […]

Walt Disney, 1954 Animator, voice actor and film producer Walt Disney was born on December 5, in 1901. Disney was photographed by Karsh in May, 1954, two months before construction… […]

Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, 1954 Academy Award-winning British stage and film actress Vivien Leigh was born on this day, November 5, in 1913. She won two Academy Awards for… […]

…spread about “the legend a stampede built” and thrillingly the magazine’s archive is available online. Maclean’s, January 1, 1954: “In Calgary’s one zany week of celebration even the neon signs… […]

Jonas Salk, 1991 Today marks the 67th anniversary of the first mass inoculation against polio with the Jonas Salk vaccine. It took place on February 23, 1954, at Arsenal Elementary… […]

…of quantum chemistry and molecular biology. He is also one of only two people to be awarded Nobel Prizes in different fields – Nobel Prize for Chemistry, 1954; Nobel Peace… […]

Nelson Rockefeller, 1944 American businessman and politician Nelson Rockefeller was born on this day, July 8, in 1908 (d. 1979). His Sitting record, dated Mar 30, 1944, states his role… […]

Earl Warren, 1955 October 5th marks the anniversary of Earl Warren’s swearing-in as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1953. He would serve until 1969…. […]

Andre Malraux, 1954 French novelist and art theorist André Malraux died on this day, November 23, in 1976 (b. 1901). Malraux was appointed by President Charles de Gaulle as Minister… […]

Queen Elizabeth II has been featured in currency ever since she was a little girl. This Canadian $1 featuring a Karsh portrait from 1951 was first issued in 1954. The… […]

Mary Martin, 1960 Some glamor to get us through Hump Day. Mary Martin (1913-1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading… […]

Ernest Hemingway, 1957 The American novelist and journalist Ernest Hemingway was born on this day, July 21, in 1899 (d. 1961). Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s… […]

Mr. and Mrs. Philippe-Guy E. Woog and Carl, 1986 We are always delighted to hear from relatives of Karsh Sitters, especially when the relative was also photographed, as in this… […]

Agnes Macphail, 1934 Agnes Macphail (1890-1954) was the first woman elected to the Canadian House of Commons and one of the first two women elected to the Ontario legislature. She… […]

Laurence Olivier, 1954 English actor and director Laurence Olivier died on this day, July 11, in 1989 (b. 1907). Karsh recorded 175 sittings in 1954, when Olivier, and Viven Leigh,… […]

Thomas Watson, 1948 An inquiry came in about this portrait of Thomas Watson, recorded in 1948 by Karsh’s studio as “President, International Business Machines Corp.” Watson was photographed again the… […]