Beschreibung:

Churchill (Sir Winston Leonard Spencer, 1874-1965), British statesman, soldier, and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1940-1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1951 to 1955. A very fine, double-signed photograph of Churchill by Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002), [1941], printed later, sepia-toned gelatin silver print, Karsh’s copyright stamp in the image lower right, image size 216 x 168 mm (8.5 x 6.5 ins), signed by Karsh on the original paper mount in pencil lower left, ‘© Y. Karsh’, and signed and dated by Churchill in black ink lower right, ‘Winston S. Churchill / 1954’, the date below and left of his signature, photographer’s copyright wet stamp to verso, sheet size 337 x 262 mm overall (13.5 x 10.5 ins), in superb condition with trivial creases to right-hand corners, loosely preserved in the original buff card portfolio with Karsh’s details lettered in silver to upper cover (some minor marks and spotting to folder only) (Quantity: 1) Possibly the finest signed photograph of Churchill ever offered for sale. After a visit to Washington in 1954 Churchill flew to Ottawa on 29 June, making a short speech on landing. The following day he attended a meeting of the Canadian cabinet and broadcast a speech to the Canadian people. He was later a guest of the Canadian Prime Minister, Louis St Laurent, at the Country Club, and flew on, this time to New York, arriving after midnight to board the Queen Elizabeth for his return to England. It seems likely therefore that the day of signing this remarkable example of his photograph was 30 June 1954. The iconic photograph, now always named 'The Roaring Lion', was taken on 30 December 1941 during Churchill's brief visit to Ottawa (29 December 1941-1 January 1942). Karsh himself recalled that 'Churchill lit a fresh cigar, puffed at it with a mischievous air ... I held out an ashtray, but he would not dispose of it. I went back to my camera and made sure that everything was all right technically. I waited; he continued to chomp vigorously at his cigar. I waited. Then I stepped toward him and, without premeditation, but ever so respectfully, I said, “Forgive me, sir,” and plucked the cigar out of his mouth. By the time I got back to my camera, he looked so belligerent he could have devoured me. It was at that instant that I took the photograph.’ The steadfast, defiant and unconquerable image was emblematic of Churchill and Britain at this time. Churchill later said to Karsh, 'You can even make a roaring lion stand to be photographed'. The picture, later produced in larger format, became one of the most widely reproduced images in the history of photography. Karsh reflecting on the image said: 'My portrait of Winston Churchill changed my life. I knew after I had taken it that it was an important picture, but I could hardly have dreamed that it would become one of the most widely reproduced images in the history of photography.' In a letter to the private owner of this photograph, dated 20 October 2011, the Estate of Yousuf Karsh wrote that '... The Estate has, in its possession, one example signed by both Karsh and Churchill. That is the only other example I currently know of. I have seen others come up from time to time, but surely they're quite scarce. Yours is interesting in that Churchill also dated it. Yours is the only [example] I have seen with that. So I don't think you have any reason to believe it to be a forgery or fake - it looks similar to the example in our possession and I think you're safe in assuming that everything is authentic... .' There can be no suggestion of the signature being a facsimile despite the unusual black ink. The pen-strokes are visible under magnification, and no other copy of this image has ever emerged. The photograph itself is clearly a Karsh original, and there is no doubt that Karsh's own signature (in pencil) is genuine. Very few examples of this photograph double-signed by Churchill and Karsh are known. The present exam