In Memoriam: Queen Elizabeth II-Through the Lens of Yousuf Karsh

Elizabeth II (1926-2022) – Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms – passed away on September 8, 2022, aged 96 surrounded by the royal family at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Seventy years ago, on February 6, 1952, at only 25 years old, Elizabeth acceded to the throne, and in 2015, she became the longest-serving monarch in British history, breaking the record of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.

As one of the most photographed figures in the world, Queen Elizabeth II was also considered one of the world's most advanced photography enthusiast, with photography being a main hobby.

Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002), was one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century. Karsh's official portrait of Princess Elizabeth was taken at Clarence House, in London, on July 30, 1951. It shows the young Princess happy and relaxed, only a short six months before the death of her father, King George VI, when she suddenly became the future Queen of England, with all the weighty responsibilities that would bring. Karsh photographed Princess Elizabeth for the first time in 1943, when she was just 18. He would go on to make official portraits of her and her over the next 44 years, in 1951, 1966, 1984, and 1987.

Throughout his career Karsh captured numerous celebrities such as Pablo Picasso, Winston Churchill, Audrey Hepburn, John F. Kennedy, Mohammad Ali, and Albert Einstein, among many others. By carefully posing and sensitively lighting his subjects, Karsh strived to highlight distinctive features that would convey a sense of their individuality and inner life. He was called "the Rembrandt of photography". As he wrote: "The endless fascination of these people for me lies in what I call their inward power. It is part of the elusive secret that hides in everyone, and it has been my life's work to try to capture it on film."

In 1968, Yousuf Karsh was awarded The Order of Canada and in 1970 he became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of London. He has been a trustee of the Scientific Foundation for the Art of Photography and has been named a Master of the Art of Photography by the Canadian Society of Professional Photographers. As the only Canadian and photographer, Yousuf Karsh is also listed in the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS