Yousuf Karsh
Portrait Photographer, American, 1908-2002
Karsh emigrated to Canada as a boy in 1924 to escape persecution for his Armenian roots. He studied photography under John H. Garo, a respected portrait taker in Boston. When he finished his apprenticeship, he returned to Canada and set up shop in Ottawa in 1932 – his career developed quickly. Yousuf Karsh operated his studio out of the Chateau Laurier Hotel in downtown Ottawa until 1992.