A Canadian man has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison for stealing a famous photograph of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, titled "The Roaring Lion".
The BBC writes about this.
Jeffrey Wood pleaded guilty to stealing the original photograph from the Château Laurier Hotel in Ottawa. He also admitted to forgery. Wood said he stole the photo to raise money for his brother, who was suffering from mental illness.
Yousuf Karsh
Ottawa police said the photo was found last year in Genoa, Italy, from a private buyer who was unaware that the photo was stolen.
Wood received a sentence of "two years minus one day", meaning he would serve his sentence in a provincial facility rather than a federal prison.
Woodʼs lawyer called the sentence "unreasonably harsh", considering that the defendant had no previous problems with the law.
What kind of portrait is this?
The portrait, titled "Roaring Lion", was taken by Canadian photographer of Armenian descent Yusuf Karsh after Churchill addressed the Canadian Parliament in 1941.
This photo shoot was supposed to last only two minutes. Karsh asked the Prime Minister to put down his cigar, as the smoke would interfere with the picture, but Churchill refused. So before taking the picture, Karsh snatched the cigar from the British Prime Ministerʼs mouth, which caused Churchill to look so displeased.
After the shoot, Churchill told the photographer, “You can make even a roaring lion stand still for a photograph.” Thus, he gave the shot its famous title.
The portrait is one of the most famous images of Churchill, and has even appeared on the British five-pound note.
Karsh donated a photograph of the Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel in Ottawa, where he and his wife lived for 18 years after fleeing the Armenian Genocide. Karsh also had a studio there until 1992.
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