Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh’s photograph of Churchill, taken in December 1941 on Parliament Hill, is one of the most famous photographs of the British prime minister. “We are deeply saddened by this brazen act,” Geneviève Dumas, general manager of Chateau Laurier, said in a press release. “The hotel is incredibly proud to host this amazing Karsh collection, which was safely installed in 1998.” The photo of Churchill, known as ‘The Roaring Lion’, was taken after the then British Prime Minister’s speech to the Canadian Parliament about the Second World War. The photo is notable for Churchill’s determined expression and stance, which many saw as a reflection of wartime sentiment in Britain at the time – taking a stand against the encroaching threat of Nazism. Kars took Churchill’s cigar from him just before the photo shoot, which led to the Prime Minister being killed on camera. Over the weekend, hotel officials noticed that the picture had not been hung properly. They then discovered that the portrait’s frame did not match the other Karsh frames that hang in the hotel’s reading room. “Upon further investigation and confirmation by the Yusuf Kars Estate, it has been determined that the photo of Winston Churchill has been replaced with a copy of the original,” the hotel said in a statement. “As a precautionary measure, the remaining photographs located in the Reading Lounge have been removed until they have been properly secured.” The hotel’s statement is asking anyone with information to share it with local authorities. Ottawa police said they received a report of the photo being stolen on Saturday. “The Ottawa Police Service received a complaint on August 20 regarding the theft of an original photograph of Winston Churchill,” police said in a statement, adding that an investigation had been launched. Karsh and his wife Estrellita lived for nearly two decades at the Chateau Laurier and operated his studio from the hotel from 1972 to 1992. His professional signature was “Karsh of Ottawa”. He has been described as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century.
