An Original Karsh Photograph of Winston Churchill Signed by both Churchill and Karsh

Shortly after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, British Prime Minister Churchill determined to travel to America to show solidarity, and also to meet President Roosevelt and to do some needed planning for the war. He stopped over in Canada on the trip, and on December 30, 1941, spoke to the Canadian Parliament, giving his famous “Some chicken! Some neck!” speech (in which he related French defeatism and his response: "When I warned them that Britain would fight on alone, whatever they did, their Generals told their Prime Minister and his divided cabinet that in three weeks, England would have her neck wrung like a chicken – Some chicken! Some neck!"). Following this speech Canada’s Prime Minister Mackenzie King arranged for renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh to set up his equipment in the Speaker’s Chamber and photograph Churchill.

Not forewarned, Churchill lit up a cigar and growled, “Why was I not told of this?” but consented to a brief session. Karsh asked him to remove the cigar and, when he didn’t, stepped forward and gently removed it with the comment, “Forgive me, Sir.” Churchill glowered as the shot was taken, then permitted Karsh to take still another, jokingly comment- ing, “You can even make a roaring lion stand still to be photographed.” The first photograph, which showed a defiant Winston Churchill, became synonymous with the courageous image of wartime England. It is probably the most famous portrait photograph ever taken.

An original 9 by 11 inch Karsh studio photograph, the very portrait described above, copyright “Karsh, Ottawa,” signed in pencil by Karsh and in ink by Churchill. Accompanying the photograph is a letter from Karsh’s secretary July 15, 1947, to Jean A. Ducrot, a member of the French Resistance during the Second World War, sending the photograph with Karsh’s compliments and saying “How well we all appreciate the great sacrifices you of the gallant French Resistence made in the cause of our common struggle for freedom,” and adding “your admiration of him [Churchill] is shared by us all when we realize what a great debt we owe to his valient and inspiring leadership in the darkest days of our history.” There are also two letters from Edward Marsh, Churchill’s private secretary, to Ducrot about having the photograph signed by Churchill, the latter one, dated May 21, 1948, saying “Here at last is the photograph…I’m sure Mr. Churchill was very glad to sign it for such a gallant admirer…” An extremely rare signed photograph, the first of its kind we have offered, with superb provenance.