Sir Alexander Fleming (1881-1955) was a Scottish physician and microbiologist, best known for discovering the world’s first broadly effective antibiotic substance, which he named penicillin. His discovery in 1928 of what was later named benzylpenicillin (or penicillin G) from the mould Penicillium rubens is described as the “single greatest victory ever achieved over disease.” For this discovery, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 with Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain.

This portrait has been newly added to the website. It was made at in St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, where there is now an Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum.

On February 28, 1953, Cambridge University scientists James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick announced that they had determined the double-helix structure of DNA, the molecule containing human genes.

The molecular biologists were aided significantly by the work of another DNA researcher, Rosalind Franklin, although she was not included in the announcement, nor did she share the subsequent Nobel Prize award for it.

James Watson was photographed for the 1992 book American Legends in which Karsh is quoted: “The informal and charming Nobelist, not content to rest on the laurels of his spectacular youthful discovery of the structure of DNA, is now himself an inspiring mentor to a group of brilliant young research scientists.”

Corazon “Cory” Aquino was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th President of the Philippines, becoming the first woman to hold that office. Aquino took office on this day, February 25, in 1986 and was President until June 30, 1992.

See a color portrait of Aquino by Karsh.

Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to become the United Farm Workers labor union. Chavez is especially remembered for the “Delano Grape Strike” which he initiated in 1965 to protest for higher wages for Filipino American farm workers.

Chavez stayed active in his later years; in 1991, the year this portrait was made, he launched a “Public Action Speaking Tour” of U.S. colleges and universities. His standard speech at these events covered the problems facing farmworkers, the dangers of pesticides, the alliance of agribusiness and the Republican Party, and his view that boycotts and marches were a better means of achieving change than electoral politics.

This portrait has been newly added to this website’s database.

Andy Warhol died, February 22, in 1987 (b. 1928). Warhol was once advised by an art teacher to paint what he liked, which happened to be rather ordinary things.

Karsh photographed Warhol in 1979, 10 years after Warhol founded Interview magazine. See more images of Warhol by Karsh.

British-American poet W. H. Auden was born on this day, February 21, in 1907 (d. 1973).

Karsh wrote: “In Stephen Spender’s garden in London, the poet W. H. Auden talked about ‘coming home.’ The Oxford University he knew, which he had longed for during bouts of deep nostalgic depression while living in New York, no longer existed for him when he returned to England. He spent two hours talking to my wife – prophetically – about friends who had died. He smoked incessantly, his conversation punctuated by wracking coughs. Meanwhile the light was gone from the garden, and I could take only a quick photograph of a beautiful and ravaged face. ‘Come soon, come soon,’ he invited, but I knew I would never see him again.” Indeed, Karsh made this portrait October 30, 1972; Auden died September, 29, 1973.

Judith Jamison is an American dancer and choreographer (b. 1943). She was photographed by Karsh in 1990, when she was the director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre; she is now the artistic director emerita. Ms. Jamison is being freshly added to this website’s database.

Canadian figure skater Barbara Ann Scott – born 1928, pictured here at age 11 – was the 1948 Olympic champion, a two-time World champion (1947–1948), and a four-time Canadian national champion (1944–46, 48) in ladies’ singles.

Scott is the only Canadian to have won the Olympic ladies’ singles gold medal, the first North American to have won three major titles in one year and the only Canadian to have won the European Championship (1947–48). During her forties she was rated among the top equestrians in North America. She received many honours and accolades, including being made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1991 and a member of the Order of Ontario in 2008. (Wikipedia)

Karsh photographed Scott on four separate occasions.

American actress Kim Novak celebrated her 89th birthday on February 13, 2022 (b. 1933). She is pictured here in costume for the 1964 movie Of Human Bondage, which is based on W. Somerset Maugham‘s 1915 novel of the same title. Novak has spent the latter part of her life as an artist and activist.

Kim Novak is widely known for her role in Alfred Hitchcock‘s masterpiece Vertigo and had made a stand for better pay in 1960s Hollywood. The story goes, Novak was striking for more money from Columbia Pictures, and refused to show up for work on the Vertigo set, to protest her salary of $1,250 a week. Novak hired new agents to represent her and demanded an adjustment in her contract. Head of Columbia, Harry Cohn, who was paid $250,000 for Novak to do Vertigo, suspended her, but after a few weeks of negotiations, he relented and offered her a new contract worthy of a major star. She was now receiving $3,000 a week and explained to the press, “I don’t like to have anyone take advantage of me.” Read more (Wikipedia).

See another portrait of Novak on set.

On this day, February 11, in 1990, Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years in prison.

Karsh photographed Mandela in June of 1990, during Mandela’s formal visit to the Canadian parliament. Mandela was vice-president of the African National Congress (ANC) at the time, and he addressed a joint session of the House of Commons and the Senate, the first time in four decades a non-head of state had been given the special privilege. Mandela praised Canada for supporting the anti-apartheid movement and asked the government not to lift trade sanctions on South Africa – a request then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney proudly obliged. Canada lifted the sanctions in 1993, the year before Mandela became president.

Claude Ryan was a Canadian journalist and politician. Born in 1925, he was the director of the newspaper Le Devoir from 1964 to 1978, leader of the Quebec Liberal Party from 1978 to 1982, National Assembly of Quebec member for Argenteuil from 1979 to 1994 and Minister of Education from 1985 to 1989. Ryan died on February 9, 2004.

On February 6, 2022, Her Majesty The Queen became the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking her reign of 70 years. Born in 1926, she came to the throne when her father King George VI died in 1952. Karsh photographed both King George and then-Princess Elizabeth in 1943, and subsequently in 1951 just prior to her becoming Queen. Karsh would go on to photographer Her Majesty, Prince Philip, and the Royal Family, in 1966, 1984 and 1987. See a few images from those Sittings.

The Canada Post is commemorating this Jubilee with a new stamp that features a Karsh portrait of Princess Elizabeth on its booklet. Karsh images have been used by the Post multiple occasions, and many of them feature in this video.

Bob Cousy, born in 1928, is a beloved American former professional basketball player who was a point guard with the Boston Celtics from 1950 to 1963, and became a broadcaster for the team. Among his many achievements, in 2021 Cousy was honored as one of the NBA’s greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Cousy was well-known both on and off the court for his public stance against racism. In 1950, the Celtics played a game in the then-segregated city of Charlotte, North Carolina, and teammate Chuck Cooper, the first African-American in NBA history to be drafted, would have been denied a hotel room. Instead of taking the hotel room, Cousy insisted on traveling with Cooper on an uncomfortable overnight train. He described their visit to a segregated men’s toilet – Cooper was prohibited from using the clean “for whites” bathroom and had to use the shabby “for colored” facility – as one of the most shameful experiences of his life.

This portrait from 1990 has been freshly scanned and so we continue to add to the digital archive.

Lord Bertrand Russell died on this day, February 2, in 1970. Born in the UK in 1872, Russell was a polymath – philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, writer, social critic, political activist. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950 “in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought.”

See another portrait from this sitting.

See some other Nobel laureates who were photographed by Karsh.

Jackie Robinson was born on this day, January 31, in 1919 (d.1972). Robinson is legendary in the United States for being the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. Karsh photographed Robinson in 1957, the year after Robinson had retired from the game.

Robinson also was the first black television analyst in Major League Baseball and the first black vice president of a major American corporation, Chock full o’Nuts. In the 1960s, he helped establish the Freedom National Bank, an African-American-owned financial institution based in Harlem, New York.

As part of the virtual vernissage for our exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Estrellita Karsh spoke with Mary-Dailey Desmarais, Chief Curator. Mrs. Karsh reveals insights into Yousuf’s early life, and how the two of them met, when she was a medical writer and Karsh came to photograph Dr. Walter Alvarez, the doctor with whom she worked at the time.

If you can make it to Montreal between now and January 30, 2022, book your tickets ahead of time. For those who can’t, enjoy some of the press cover, or visit the Museum’s website.

With so many Sittings it is not possible for us to include images of every subject but we do keep adding to the digital archive. Here is a freshly scanned print of Albert Camus, so different than the frame we have been used to seeing.

Camus was a French philosopher, author and journalist. Three years after he sat for Karsh, Camus would receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was the second-youngest recipient of this Prize, at the age of 44 – Rudyard Kipling was only 42 when he received his.

American novelist, poet, and short-story writer John Updike died on this day, January 27, in 2009. Born in 1932, Updike is one of only three writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once. He published more than twenty novels, more than a dozen short-story collections, as well as poetry, art and literary criticism and children’s books.

See some other Pulitzer Prize winners who were photographed by Karsh include Pearl Buck, Gian Carlo Menotti, Samuel Barber, Robert Frost, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Carl Sandburg.

Paul Gallico (1897-1976) was an American novelist and short story and sports writer. Many of his works were adapted for film, including his books The Snow Goose, and The Poseidon Adventure. His library and estate are coming up for auction in the U.K., at Chiswick Auctions, and include Gallico’s own work, as well as personal notes, press cuttings, personal artifacts including his typewriters, his leather Abercrombie & Fitch flying jacket from his time as a war correspondent, a range of his highly-popular books and insightful notes that offer us a glimpse into the man behind his writings, as well as some rare First Editions by significant writers and great friends of his. Learn more.

See a second Karsh portrait of Paul Gallico.

Gallico was photographed by Karsh for Esquire Magazine. See some of Karsh’s other Esquire sitters.

A follower on Instagram asked whether there was a story to go with Karsh’s meeting with the Apollo 11 astronauts; the story can be found in Karsh Portraits (1976, New York Graphic Society and University of Toronto Press).

The story tells of how Mr and Mrs Karsh were late to arrive at NASA, having been watching open-heart surgery on a young boy by ground-breaking surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey, in Houston, (the details of which Mrs. Karsh would later go on to discuss with Buzz Aldrin.)

Here is an excerpt: “(The Apollo crew) had spent the preceding three weeks in quarantine as a precaution against any lunar organisms they might have carried back to earth. Now they were in high spirits. Remembering the cautionary signs which had surrounded them, they playfully posted one outside my temporary studio: ‘Karsh. No Contamination.’ On arrival at NASA later than scheduled, I took Neil Armstrong immediately into the astronaut library which served as my studio.

After this (group) photograph was made, Collins took a long relief map of the moon and, with mock solemnity, and an exaggerated flourish of his pen, inscribed one of the yet-unnamed craters as ‘Karsh Crater.’ Later, Armstrong sent us a print of the famous photograph that showed his boot and his footstep in the moondust. On it he wrote: ‘That’s one small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind,’ his first words on the moon, and added, ‘with the (admiration and) best wishes of the photographer.’”

As it happens, a crater on Mercury was named after Yousuf Karsh in 2015. The Karsh Crater has a diameter of 58 kilometers. Read more.

The cover of this week’s Hello! Canada features this beautiful color portrait from Yousuf Karsh’s 1951 sitting with Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth. This official portrait of Princess Elizabeth was taken at Clarence House, in London, on July 30, 1951. It shows the young Princess happy and relaxed, only a short six months before the death of her father, King George VI, when she suddenly became the future Queen of England, with all the weighty responsibilities that would bring. Karsh photographed Princess Elizabeth for the first time in 1943, when she was just 18. He would go on to make official portraits of her and her family four more times over the next 44 years: 1951, 1966, 1984, and 1987.

Actress and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn was born on January 20, in 1993 (b. 1929). She rose to stardom in the romantic comedy Roman Holiday (1953) alongside Gregory Peck, for which she was the first actress to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA Award for a single performance. Hepburn was photographed by Karsh in 1956, the year she starred in the BAFTA- and Golden Globe-nominated role as Natasha Rostova in War and Peace, an adaptation of the Tolstoy novel set during the Napoleonic wars, starring Henry Fonda and her husband Mel Ferrer.

See a Karsh portrait of Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer together.

The Judith Robinson fonds is one of the archival collections at McMaster University Library in Hamilton, Ontario. Judith Robinson (1897-1961) was one of Canada’s most read newspaper columnists in the mid-20th century. Her career spanned three decades and two major newspapers (The Globe and Mail and The Telegram). As author of “the most polished newspaper prose in North America, with an acid fillip in every phrase,” she commented on all the key stories of her day… with fearless criticism of those in power.

Muhammad Ali was born on this day, January 17, in 1942. Karsh wrote of their sitting “I photographed (Ali) in 1970, as part of a series of young people for ‘Look’ Magazine. Muhammad Ali arrived at my New York studio with a breathless young editor trailing behind. They had jogged together from the ‘Look’ offices, the young editor carrying Ali’s heavy portable telephone which Ali said kept him in ‘constant contact with the world.’ Since the editor was a slight young man, I smiled to myself as I imagined this improbable duo and the incredulous stares of the passers-by as they made their way up Madison Avenue.

See more portraits of Muhammad Ali by Yousuf Karsh.

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 Peace,” which he gave in 1954, is considered one of the best speeches ever given. From 1952 until his death he worked against nuclear tests and nuclear weapons with Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell and Otto Hahn.

Read “The Problem of Peace”.

New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist Edmund Hillary died on January 11 in 2008. Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

From 1985 to 1988 he served as New Zealand’s High Commissioner to India and Bangladesh and concurrently as Ambassador to Nepal.

See more portraits of Sir Edmund.

British politician Harold Macmillan became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on this day, January 10, in 1957, serving in the role until 1963. Macmillan was the Conservative Party Foreign Secretary from April to December 1955, during which period he was photographed by Karsh.

German statesman Konrad Adenauer was born on this day, January 5, in 1876 (d. 1967). Adenauer was the first post-war Chancellor of West Germany from 1949 to 1963.

Nobel Prize winning author, journalist, and philosopher Albert Camus died on this day, January 4, in 1960 (b. 1913). Camus was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history.

In 1952, Yousuf Karsh accepted a lengthy assignment from Maclean’s magazine to document Canada’s postwar economic development; he considered the workers to be artists. In the seventeen months it took to complete the undertaking, he made a total of 8,334 negatives. See a few more of the images here.

As they prepare to host “The World of Yousuf Karsh: A Private Essence,” the exhibition initiated, produced, and circulated by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21’s 2022 national competition will be for a portrait photographer to draw inspiration from the work of Yousuf Karsh. “We are seeking a portrait photographer to work in the tradition of Karsh’s Maclean’s magazine cross-country assignment. This captivating body of work captured regular Canadians, and is considered by many to be some of his best work. While the exhibition will feature some of Karsh’s most recognizable images of famous people, the residency is inspired by Karsh’s ability to capture the humanity and dignity in all of his subjects which Stephen Dale from the National Gallery of Canada wrote, “confirm(s) that for Karsh, the refugee, the dignity of a person did not depend upon their station or circumstances.”” Learn more about this opportunity.

Wishing all our friends and followers a safe, happy and healthy new year. Here’s to discovering more gems from the Karsh archives in 2022.

Lester Pearson was a Canadian scholar, statesman, soldier, and diplomat who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. He died on this day, December 27, in 1972 (b. 1897).

Pearson was awarded the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis and is generally considered among the most influential Canadians of the 20th century. Read more (Wikipedia).

Yousuf Karsh was born on this day, December 23, in 1908. During his career he held 15,312 sittings, produced over 370,000 negatives, and left an indelible artistic and historic record of the men and women who shaped the twentieth century. Karsh kept a card file for every sitting, beginning in 1933 and running through to 1993, and the records have been transcribed and are searchable here on this website.

Get a glimpse behind the scenes of his six prolific decades in our Life in Images gallery.

In 1955, Yousuf Karsh was commissioned to produce photographs for an advertising campaign for Bradings, a Canadian brewery. The images included some still lifes and a few scenes such as this, whose caption is “Bruce Heggtveit and Miss Dunning for Bradings Series Christmas Scene.” Bruce is sitting in front of some cheese, crackers, and maybe pretzels, and holding a bottle opener. Our colleagues at the Library and Archives Canada told me: “In those days advertisements about alcohol were very restricted in Ontario. That may be why the only hint at the brand is the bottle opener.”

Happy holidays and a healthy new year to all our followers.

American author John Steinbeck died on this day, December 20, in 1968 (b. 1902). “A giant of American letters,” Steinbeck was awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature. The Pulitzer Prize-winning The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is considered Steinbeck’s masterpiece and part of the American literary canon. In the first 75 years after it was published, it sold 14 million copies.

See another portrait of Steinbeck.

Earlier this year, The Bank of Russia issued a commemorative coin dedicated to Andrei Sakharov. Sakharov was a Soviet nuclear physicist, dissident, Nobel laureate, and activist for disarmament, peace and human rights. 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of his birth. The coin’s portrait is based on Karsh’s photograph of Sakharov, made in February 1989, just 10 months before Sakharov’s death.

The American animator, writer, voice actor, and film producer Walt Disney was born on December 15, in 1901 (d. 1966). Disney developed an early interest in drawing; took art classes as a boy and got a job as a commercial illustrator at the age of 18. He moved to California in the early 1920s and set up the Disney Brothers Studio with his brother Roy. Along with animator Ub Iwerks, he developed the character Mickey Mouse in 1928. The rest is history!

Britain’s King George VI was born on this day, December 14, in 1895 (d. 1952). He was king of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from December 1936 until his death.

Karsh photographed the British royal family on several occasions. Learn more.

As part of the virtual vernissage for our exhibition “Yousuf Karsh: A Private Essence” at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Estrellita Karsh spoke with Mary-Dailey Desmarais, Chief Curator. Mrs. Karsh reveals insights into Yousuf’s early life, and how the two of them met, when she was a medical writer and Karsh came to photograph Dr. Walter Alvarez, the doctor with whom she worked at the time.

The exhibition is on view now through the end of January, 2022.