Karsh Signature

Yousuf Karsh, master photographer of the 20th century

Vannevar Bush

Vannevar Bush, 1950

Thanks to the Internet and to social media, the Estate receives regular inquiries from a variety of people and organizations. This week we were asked if we could confirm whether a color portrait of Vannevar Bush was indeed made by Mr. Karsh. Our colleagues at the National Archives of Canada will search their Karsh fonds and share what they find.

Vannevar Bush, an American engineer, inventor and science administrator, who during World War II headed the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), was photographed by Karsh in 1950, the year legislation to create the National Science Foundation passed through Congress and was signed into law by President Truman. The Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering; Bush was chiefly responsible for the movement that led to its creation.

Bush was photographed again in 1958.

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