That iconic photograph of Winston Churchill earned its creator, Yousuf Karsh, just one hundred dollars—and worldwide fame. But behind that image lies a fascinating story.
In 1941, Churchill arrived in Ottawa. To commemorate the visit, Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King invited photographer Yousuf Karsh to take a portrait of the guest after his speech to Parliament. Churchill was escorted into a room where Karsh had already set up his camera and lighting.
Years later, Karsh recalled that Churchill wasn’t exactly in the best mood—the photo session came as an unwelcome surprise.
“A startled Churchill growled, ‘What is this? What is this?’” Karsh remembered. No one answered him. So I stepped forward and said, ‘Sir, I hope I may be fortunate enough to make a portrait worthy of this historic moment.’”
Churchill sat down, lit a cigar, and gave the photographer just two minutes. But the smoke made shooting difficult—and the cigar didn’t fit the image Karsh had in mind.
“I waited. He kept puffing on that cigar. I waited some more. Then I approached him with an ashtray, but he still didn’t remove it. So I murmured, ‘Forgive me, sir,’ and pulled the cigar right out of his mouth.”
In that split second of shock, Karsh rushed back to his camera and took the shot.
“By the time I got back behind the camera, he looked so defiant—like he could devour me. That’s when I pressed the shutter.”
Moments later, Churchill recovered—and broke into a smile.
“You can even make a roaring lion stand still to be photographed,” he told Karsh.
Karsh later titled the image “The Roaring Lion.” He took another photo just seconds afterward—this time capturing Churchill smiling warmly.
Two completely different sides of the same man.
The first image went on to appear on the cover of LIFE magazine in 1945 and became one of the most recognizable portraits of any political figure. The second, however, remained Karsh’s personal favorite.