The iconic photograph of Sir Winston Churchill, taken by Canadian photographer, Yusuf Karsh, in December 1941, was stolen in Ottawa, the capital of Canada. The photo was posted at the Chateau Laurier Hotel.
The Canadian edition of CTV writes about it.
"We are deeply saddened by this brazen act. The hotel is incredibly proud to house this stunning Karsch collection, which was firmly established in 1998,” Chateau Laurier General Manager, Genevieve Dumas, stated in a press release.
The hotel staff noticed that the photo was hanging incorrectly. Then they discovered that the portrait frame did not match the other frames in the hotel reading room.
“Upon further investigation and confirmation from Yusuf Karshʼs estate, it was discovered that the photograph of Winston Churchill had been replaced with a copy. As a precautionary measure, the photographs remaining in the reading room have been removed until they are properly protected,” Chateau Laurier noted in a statement.
Ottawa police received a report of a theft. The hotel is asking anyone with information about this crime to share it with local authorities.
- World-renowned photographer Yusuf Karsh took this picture after Winton Churchill gave a speech about World War II in the Canadian Parliament. It is known that before the photo session, Karsh took away the politicianʼs cigar, which caused the British prime minister to look glumly at the camera.