Karsh Signature

Yousuf Karsh, master photographer of the 20th century

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Marian Anderson

Marian Anderson

1945

“What struck me most...when I photographed her at her home in Connecticut in 1945, was her simplicity and peacefulness...None of my early shots satisfied me in the least. All of them, I felt, has missed the intangible target. I began to despair. Then, towards the conclusion of the sitting, Miss Anderson's accompanist came in for a rehearsal. This seemed to be my chance. I asked him, in a whisper, to play very softly the accompaniment to 'The Crucifixion', one of the singer's favourite compositions. Unaware of my innocent little plot, she began to hum to herself. Hurriedly, I snapped the camera. When I developed and printed the film I felt like it contained what I had seen with my own eyes. This is the portrait of a harmonious soul revealing itself unconsciously in song.”

Other Photographs

  • Marian Anderson

    Marian Anderson

Sittings

6774
Nov 9 1940

Miss Marian Anderson

RCA Sittings
9667
Dec 9 1945

Miss Marian Anderson

J. Walter Thompson RCA
10257
Dec 23 1948

Miss Marian Anderson

For Newsweek Magazine
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